New Ties Created
by SirGecko
Summary: As Isaac and company continue on their journey, two adepts of strange type unite with them to stop Karst, Agatio and Alex from lighting the remaining lighthouses. Will they or will they not succeed ... [slight AU] A very cliche telling of good vs. evil.
1. United at Last

Hello, everyone! My name is SirGecko, and this is my first work of fiction, so please bear with me. It's slow in the beginning, but as you go on, it gets better and better. 

  
  


This chapter was replaced with the old one, in an attempt to make it a little bit more interesting. I also let up on Garet a little bit, and changed his lines around so they weren't so cheesy. So hopefully, those who read this chapter and disliked it, will like it at least a little bit better than last time. It has some filler, I'll admit that, but hey. What story doesn't?

  
  


So, I beg you to cut me some slack. Like I said, it starts out slowly, and then gets better as you go along. This is probably my worst chapter, so if you can read this, you can read the rest with no problem. By the way, I'm also gonna replace chapters 2,5, and 6 with some modifications, removing dumb lines, adding a little more description, that sort of thing. 

  
  


And one more thing. I wrote these first few chapters five months ago, and naturally, writing improves as you go. So, by the time you get through the first five chapters, you've met my best writing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

  
  


*Thanks to Strata Alpha and Archer Cross for telling me ways to improve. I know I acted a little rash at first, but I wanna thank you guys for pointing this out. Hopefully, it will be a little more bearable for you.* 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 1: United at Last

  
  


The sea was calm, sparkling blue, and as smooth as glass. It was a clear, beautiful day, seagulls soaring through the air. The weather was warm and pleasant, and a slight sea breeze was blowing.

Isaac sat there, taking it all in, the soft breeze playing across his face. It had been three days since they had left Lalivero, and the trip had been dull and uneventful so far. Isaac was on the deck of their Lemurian ship, and they were sailing to the Jupiter lighthouse. They had just received word from Tolbi that Lord Babi had passed away earlier than anyone could have guessed, for he had aged rather quickly when his draught ran out. 

  
  


Despite disappointment, Isaac decided to head for the Jupiter Lighthouse instead of Lemuria, as that was now more important. He scowled as he remembered who he was pursuing.

  
  


Karst, Agatio, Felix, Sheba, Jenna, and Alex had taken a one-day lead on them. They had set off instantly for Jupiter Lighthouse. Isaac remembered seeing Karst's face as she met them outside of the Venus Lighthouse. Torn with rage and grief, she and Agatio vowed to avenge her sister's death by killing him and all people associated with him. She then took Felix, Jenna, and Sheba, and with Alex, they had teleported away. Isaac had remembered quailing under her furious stare. She and Agatio were from Prox as well, and more fierce-looking than Saturos and Menardi. 

  
  


Putting them out of his mind, Isaac sighed, enjoying the weather, bathing in the pleasant sunlight. He had worked all morning scrubbing the side of the ship, and it was time for a break. Then, he heard a voice calling him. It was Mia's.

  
  


"Hey Isaac! What are ya doing over there?" she asked, coming over to him.

"Not much," Isaac said, somewhat calmly. "Just taking a break and enjoying the weather." 

"Mind if I join you?" asked Mia. "I haven't got anything to do either."

"Sure," was Isaac's reply.

They both sat there, not saying anything for a long time. Both were thinking, not just about their quest, but about each other. Isaac knew that Mia liked him, and Mia knew that Isaac liked her. Just then, they heard someone come up on deck.

  
  


"What's the lovely couple up to today?" said Garet, grinning as he came up from below-decks.

"Shut up!" said Isaac and Mia at the same time, both blushing. 

  
  


Garet fell silent, but that didn't stop him from thinking. I know those two like each other, he thought. They're just too chicken to say anything to each other.

  
  


Just then, Garet felt a weird tingling in his mind. He spun around, and he saw Ivan, looking at him, concentrating on him, eyes closed, palm raised.

  
  


"Dammit, Ivan, you know I hate it when you do that! Quit reading my mind!" yelled Garet, as Isaac, Ivan, and Mia laughed. 

"What did he see?" asked Isaac.

"Nothing. He didn't see a thing," said Garet, in an innocent tone that everyone could read through. But, of course, Ivan knew. He had known for a long time as well. 

"Hey, have we checked our corse lately?" asked Isaac, changing the subject. Ivan brought out a map of Weyard that they had found in a cupboard on the ship.

"Well . . ." said Ivan slowly. "We've been sailing east for a day and south for another . . . I'd say we're about here," Ivan finished, pointing out a spot in the middle of the ocean. "We should be at the Jupiter Lighthouse in no more than a week," he added. "Sooner if the tides are with us."

  
  


"A week? What are we gonna do on a stupid ship for a whole week?" whined Garet.

"I have no idea," said Isaac. "What are you gonna do?"

"Beats me," said Garet grumpily. "I know what you want to do."

This made Isaac think for a minute, but then he must have noticed. He knows I like Mia, he thought to himself. It's just that she means so much to me, I'm too scared to hear that she doesn't return my feelings.

"Okay, I'm starving. Who else is hungry?" asked Ivan. Everyone agreed that they were hungry, so they went below-decks to get dinner going.

  
  


*******

  
  


Hours later, after they had stuffed themselves with chicken and salad (especially Garet), everyone went into their cabins. It was late, and the group was tired.

  
  


Mia sat in her cabin on her bed, thinking about Isaac. He's so quiet and cute, she thought. He'd be perfect for me. She tried to shake the thought from her mind for now, but she couldn't do it. She started to just stare off into space. After a while, her Djinn saw Mia's behavior, and they went over to her.

  
  


"Mia, is something the matter?" Fizz squeaked with concern.

"Yes and no," said Mia after a moment. "I really like Isaac, I mean really. But I can't work up the courage to ask him how he feels about me. And there's also that issue . . . four years ago . . . you know."

"I see," said Fizz, after a moment. "Well, do you guys have an idea?" He asked turning to the other Djinn.

"Wait for Isaac to ask her!" suggested Spritz.

"No, he would've asked already if he had enough courage as well," said Fizz after considering this idea.

"No, wait a minute!" shouted Tonic. "It's not right for a girl to ask a guy. It has to be the other way around!"

"And just who made that a rule?" sneered Sleet. Tonic fell silent. 

  
  


The Djinn sat thinking for a long time, while Mia watched. She really appreciated her Djinn's loyalty to her and her Djinn knew that. They were willing to help her in any way possible, and to protect her at all costs. The Djinn started to break down the situation.

  
  


"Okay, we of course know that Mia is infatuated by Isaac," said Hail. "We also know the same about Isaac."

"The only problem is that they're both too chicken," muttered Mist.

"Shut up, Mist!" snapped Fizz. "So what? I bet lots of people are this way."

"I have an idea," said Dew in a slow voice. "Why don't we ask Isaac instead of Mia?"

"I don't know," said Mia. "He'll think I'm a coward." 

"He should talk," said Fizz, a bite of irritation in her voice. "He wouldn't think that if he truly liked you in return. In my opinion I don't see anything wrong with that idea." The rest of the Djinn nodded their agreement. "I'll go ask him now," said Fizz. 

"Leave quickly, please," Mia said, "before I change my mind about this."

  
  


Fizz hopped off the bed and went through the open door. Now, all Mia and the rest of the Djinn could do was wait for Fizz's return.

  
  


*******

  
  


Ivan was getting ready to go to sleep for the night. Garet had watch, so he had no one to talk to. He could talk to Mia, but she was distant these days, obviously in thought about Isaac. Isaac was in thought also about Mia, and their quest, so Ivan assumed he wasn't in the mood to talk now either. Oh, well, Ivan thought. All of a sudden, one of his own Djinni appeared. It was Gust. 

  
  


"Don't Djinn stay with the person of their respective element most of the time?" it asked. 

"Usually, unless we want a class change," said Ivan. "Why?" 

"Because I just sensed that Fizz, one of Mia's Djinn, went into Isaac's room," said Gust. 

Ivan wondered about that for a second, and then he realized the only reason that could be. His face split into a grin. He told Gust all about it. 

"Ah," said Gust, looking interested. "Perhaps I should go see what will happen," said Gust, "and I'll tell you when I come back." 

He knew what Gust was doing was like being a peeping tom. But at the moment, both Gust and Ivan were too curious to care. "Fine with me," said Ivan, still grinning. 

*******

  
  


Isaac lay on his bed, trying to get to sleep. He needed it, because he was on watch tomorrow. But all of the things running through his minds were keeping him awake. Mia was the biggest thing on his mind, but he didn't have the courage yet to ask her out, even though he was quite sure she wouldn't object. 

  
  


He then heard a very soft tap-tap coming from his door near the floor. Puzzled, he opened the door to see what the tapping noise was coming from. He saw Fizz standing in the doorway.

  
  


"Excuse me," whispered Fizz, "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No, it's okay," said Isaac, opening the door wider so Fizz could come in his cabin. 

"I want to talk to you on behalf of Mia," said Fizz seriously. Well, as seriously as a squeaky little Djinni like Fizz could muster. "This is a sensitive issue; I beg you not to laugh."

"Okay," said Isaac slowly, wondering what this could be about. He had an idea, but he didn't want to get his hopes up too far. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gust come in the doorway as well. Isaac ignored Gust, looking at Fizz, waiting to hear what she had to say. 

"You see . . . oh, this is difficult . . . Mia has strong feelings for you. She wasn't brave enough to ask you herself," Fizz began. "So, we decided to ask you for her. We just want to know what you think about her liking you," Fizz finished.

Isaac breathed a sigh of relief. A weight that had been growing on him for weeks felt like it had just been lifted off him. "Tell her that I feel the same way," said Isaac, "the exact same way. I would have asked her myself, but I was too cowardly."

"Okay then," said Fizz, looking happier. "I'll go tell her you said that." Fizz left the room, Gust trailing close behind. 

  
  


Fizz went back to Mia's room and repeated everything that Isaac had said to it. Mia looked so happy that so did the rest of her Djinn. She thanked them all very much and lay down, wide awake for a long time, smiling to herself. She didn't know, but Isaac couldn't fall asleep either.

  
  


Gust went back to Ivan's room, and told him everything. Ivan's face cracked into a big smirk. It seems like this was a good day for them. He ran upstairs onto the deck to tell Garet. To his surprise, he found that his ear was pressed to the floor of the ship. 

  
  


"You know, too?" said Garet. "It's about damn time those two hooked up."

"Yep, I agree. It's all thanks to Fizz."

"That little matchmaker," Garet snickered. So did Ivan. 

  
  


Ivan decided to stay up and talk to Garet, so he and Garet sat on deck together. Ivan felt really happy for Isaac and Mia. So did Garet, but he was also trying to think of ways to tease them. They scouted for land every half an hour, kept their ears open in case they heard voices. They did. 

  
  


After a couple hours, Isaac was still awake, polishing his Gaia Blade. Working on his armor and weapons allowed his thoughts to flow more freely, he discovered. Just as he was getting the last specs of dirt and grime off the hilt, he heard a knock on his cabin door. He knew who it was. "Come in," he said trying to stay calm.

  
  


Mia entered his room and sat down beside him. Isaac looked up from his work. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Good," said Mia. "I'm glad you felt the same way I did."

  
  


Isaac admired Mia ability to cut straight to the point, instead of beating around the bush, as he often did. And, as though an invisible force was controlling his arm, he felt it put itself around Mia's shoulders. "So am I," he said happily. "So am I."

  
  


And so they talked. And talked. They talked about nothing and everything. It felt good to do all this talking. They only stopped when they saw the first hints of sunlight come through the cabin window, and they each decided to get some sleep. Mia didn't go back to her cabin. Instead she fell asleep right next to Isaac, her head resting on his lap.

  
  


*******

  
  


"When will they wake up?" 

"Who knows? They did stay up all night talking and stuff, after all."

"Well, I hope they hurry up. We have work to do."

  
  


These voices floated through Mia's head as though they were underwater. They were distant and muffled. She was just waking up. She started to wonder why she felt so happy. Then, she remembered. She and Isaac were now together. She blinked, and looked around. She had wrapped her arms around Isaac's waist in the middle of the night.

  
  


More voices came through the walls. She recognized them as Garet's and Ivan's. Trying not to wake Isaac, she roused and left Isaac's cabin.

  
  


"Well, glad you could join us," said Garet sarcastically. "Ivan told me everything."

"How did you know about it?" asked Mia, her eyes narrowing. Ivan chose not to reply.

"I swear Ivan, if you read my mind one more time . . ." threatened Mia.

"No, I didn't read your mind, it was just that I-"

  
  


But he stopped there, horror-struck at what he said.

  
  


"What? Were you eavesdropping?" snapped Mia. "Garet, you might want to move," she said shortly to him, shards of ice flying from her fingertips. "I have an issue to settle with Ivan."

  
  


Ivan, meanwhile, was cowering away from Mia, not wanting to see the expression of combined embarrassment and fury on her face.

  
  


"Hey, Mia," said a new voice that made her jump about a foot in the air.

"Oh, good morning Isaac," she said sweetly. "I was just about to settle a personal issue with Ivan." Her face hardened at she looked at the cowering Jupiter Adept.

"Well, shall we get to work?" said Garet, looking around, trying to divert from the very nasty situation that might face Ivan.. "We need to find out how far we are away from Jupiter Lighthouse."

  
  


Mia, Isaac, and especially Ivan agreed that this was a good idea, Mia shaking her head at Ivan as he walked up on deck. 

'He's a lucky little squirt. If Isaac hadn't shown up, I would've shown him how cold it was in January in Imil.' 

  
  


So, the group all bustled around, nibbling on pieces of toast. Ivan figured out that they had made more progress than he thought, and he estimated their arrival at Jupiter Lighthouse in a few days. This cheered up Garet. All of a sudden, something rocked the boat.

  
  


"Monsters!" yelled Garet. He grabbed his Giant Axe from under a bench, and ran off up the ship. Isaac was also alerted by Garet's yell. He grabbed his shining Gaia Blade and rushed to his friend's side. 

  
  


The monsters were light, just a few Man-o-wars and two nasty-looking seagulls. Garet attacked with his axe. It let out a howl and unleashed Meltdown. The man-o-war was destroyed. Isaac cast Grand Gaia, killing the remaining man-o-wars and severely wounding the seagulls. The seagulls attacked, but their razor-sharp beaks only dented Isaac's and Garet's armor. Isaac and Garet attacked and finished off the seagulls.

  
  


Mia rushed over to Isaac. "Are you all right?" she asked. 

"Just fine, though I really wish I didn't have a dent in my armor," he said.

Everyone chortled, and headed down to grab a real breakfast, and not some toast. Garet then made a horrible discovery, well, to him at least.

  
  


"We're out of food!" He yelled, panic-stricken.

"There's a tragedy," said Mia sarcastically. 

"Get off my case," Garet muttered.

"Yeah, I like to eat too," said Ivan as he went on deck. "Hey guys," he called. "I think I see a town ahead, and a beach. We can get some more food there." 

"Great idea," said Garet, rushing on deck and directing the ship toward the beach, using the Cloak Ball. Isaac and Mia followed him.

"Always count on his stomach to think for him," said Isaac to Mia. "Oh well . . . sometimes it's for the better, I guess. At least he makes sure we'll never starve."

  
  


Isaac then leaned over the starboard railing to check the way they were docking on the beach. Garet actually knew how to sail the boat very well, and did just as good as any of the others. He then felt a gentle jolt as the ship ran aground on the beach.

  
  


"We've docked," said Garet eagerly to the rest, coming down the stairs at the front of the ship. "Let's get off."

  
  


It felt awkward to all of them to be on solid ground again, as they were used to the rocking of the boat. They all proceeded toward the town, swaying slightly. They watched the town loom closer. As they approached the entrance, two guards rushed in front of them.

  
  


"Stop!" one shouted at them.

"We just want into your city to buy some rations," said Isaac, stepping in front.

"What are your names?" asked the second guard.

"I'm Isaac, leader of this group," said Isaac.

"Me? It's Garet, longtime friend of Isaac," said Garet.

"I'm called Ivan," said Ivan.

"My name is Mia," said Mia, standing next to Isaac.

"Where do you come from?" barked the second guard again.

"We come from northern Angara," said Isaac.

"Are you Adepts?" asked the first guard.

"Yes, we are," said Ivan, looking surprised at the guards' questions.

"Prove it, then," snapped the second guard.

  
  


And that's just what Isaac and company did. Isaac Moved a stone pillar from one place to another. Garet knocked a tree over with Force. Ivan Halted a butterfly flying nearby. Mia Lifted a boulder into the air.

  
  


"Is that good enough?" asked Isaac, after they were all finished demonstrating.

"Quite," said the first guard. "Sorry if we seemed nasty. I'm Robert, and this is my apprentice, Tom. You see, this is a city where only Adepts can navigate; an ordinary person would get lost," said Robert. "The name of this city is Shaman Village, and we're waiting for the return of a very important item." 

"Come on in; Adepts are always welcome here," said Tom, stepping aside, allowing Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia to enter.

  
  


The buildings were made out of beautiful, glittering stone. They quickly scouted out the inn, and went inside. They bought a couple barrels full of food, and they decided they wanted a look around. They found the weapons and armor shop, but there was nothing that would help.

  
  


But then, they saw a large tent off in a small corner of the town. It looked rather important, and smoke puffed out of a hole in the top. Thinking it was important, they went to check it out more. 

  
  


When they passed in front of the entrance however, two guards came out, swords drawn, and pointed at Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia.

  
  


"Halt!" they shouted. "Moapa will see nobody!"

"Moapa?" said Garet. "Who the Hell is Moapa?"

"Do not use such language towards Moapa!" said one of the guards angrily. "We will see only those who bear the Shaman's rod."

  
  


Ivan's face lit up like a light bulb. But then it fell, as he remembered that Felix had taken the Shaman's rod on Venus Lighthouse, and, who knows what had been done with it by him and the others.

"We had it once, but then a man named Felix took it from us," said Ivan, looking down at the ground sheepishly.

"Ah, yes, I remember Felix," said the first guard, lowering his sword. The second guard followed suit, and they both sheathed them. 

"Me too. He already gave the Shaman's rod to Moapa, and collected the reward. Moapa will not see you. Please step back."

"Where did Felix go?" asked Isaac, dreading the answer.

"The Jupiter Lighthouse," said the second guard. "Brave man, yet cowardly as well. Many do not come out."

"Just as I thought," said Isaac. "We have to go."

"I want to see Moapa, and find out about that reward!" said Ivan.

"No, he will not see you," said the first guard. "The Shaman's Rod has already been returned to him."

"But-" said Ivan.

The guards drew their swords again. "Step back!"

  
  


Isaac and friends did as they were told, and hurried away from the tent. After retreating to the entrance of the town, they picked up the barrels, and discussed what had just happened.

  
  


"We should have stormed the tent!" said Garet furiously. "We could have taken them, no problem. They weren't adepts."

"I wanted to Garet, but I'm glad we didn't," said Isaac. "We can't afford to make more enemies on this journey, we have enough already."

"Well, I suppose you're right," said Garet, disappointed. "But I agree with Ivan. I wanted to find out about that reward."

"Maybe we'll find out someday," said Mia. "But we'd better go, before we see the beacon's light from here." 

  
  


The rest nodded in agreement, and walked through the town gates. Taking their barrels, they started to make their way back to the ship, which was docked nearby. But, they didn't have a good feeling about any of this. Not at all.

  
  


*************************

  
  


It's my worst, so don't quit on me yet. But, hopefully, my improvements will make it better. Remember, chapters 2, 5, and 6 are being "remodeled" slightly, so to speak. There are some points in there which aren't necessary, so I'm gonna make some adjustments on them. So, review for me!

  
  


I accept constructive criticism, but if so, I want reasons for the criticism. And Strata Alpha, Archer Cross, I wish to apologize for my rash behavior. I hope you can forgive me. 

  
  


~SirGecko~


	2. History Revealed and Allies Made

Hello, good people. It is I, SirGecko, back with chapter 2: revised. Yes, this chapter has a little more description, and is more realistic, courtesy of those reviewers who were kind enough to give constructive criticism.

  
  


This is where we meet my original characters. They're a bit powerful, but hey. It's not like they're Hercules or anything. So please, once again, bear with me.

  
  


Anyway, let's move onto chapter two, shall we?

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 2: History Revealed and Allies Made

  
  


They walked more slowly as they were laden with the barrels. Garet carried one under his arm, and Ivan and Isaac held up the other on their shoulders. All of a sudden, they heard the clashing of metal. Both set their barrels down and stared in awe, for in front of them, an amazing battle was taking place.

  
  


A man dressed in red armor and a cape, with a depiction of the sun on it, and a woman, in a short bluish-purple skirt, with a depiction of a night sky and a full moon, had their weapons out, and were hoarding off three ferocious-looking adepts that Isaac and company didn't recognize. They both wore dark brown boots as well. 

  
  


Two of the adepts they were fighting were lying on the ground, bleeding freely and not moving. Though, on closer inspection, the wounds did not appear to be fatal, and just in a place where they would disable the opponent. 

  
  


Suddenly, the red-caped man, who had a sword in his hand as tall as Ivan, leaped up in the air, spun his sword around him so fast that Isaac couldn't even see it, came down, and plunged it straight into the third man's leg, disabling him. He lay there, bleeding from his leg, not able to get up and move. 

  
  


After awhile, the man and woman noticed Isaac and company standing there with their mouths open. All closed them very quickly. The man and woman studied Isaac and the others, and then approached them.

  
  


"Who are you?" asked the man. 

  
  


He had a deep voice, and on closer inspection, they saw that he was very tall, muscles rippling along his arms and exposed legs. His hair was fiery red, just like Garet's, and, just like Garet's, was spiked upward, though off to one side. It also wasn't as tall as Garet's. He looked young, and well-traveled. They all determined him to be in his mid 20s. He looked like a serious man, but also mild-mannered and polite.

  
  


Isaac looked over at Mia, concerned that this man's handsome build would attract her. He was wrong. Mia was looking at him instead . . . to see his reaction, Isaac supposed. But, since the man and woman didn't appear to be a threat yet, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia introduced themselves. 

  
  


"Well, Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia, I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Solaris," he said, sheathing his sword and extending his hand to each of them.

  
  


"My name is Lunora," replied the woman, bowing slightly in recognition. 

  
  


She had a quiet voice, and an accent to go with it. Her hair was silvery and extremely long. It fell all the way down to her waist. She was definitely in her early 20s, if not younger and she was very pale, like she had not tanned her face for several years. She was also rather tall, but not as tall as Solaris. 

  
  


Garet noticed that she was extremely pretty. But, after taking in her looks more closely, his mind drifted back to Jenna. Her long, flowing brown hair, her brown eyes, her pretty face, and thin stature . . . oh man . . . so much prettier than Lunora, in his opinion . . .

  
  


"Garet! What the Hell are you drooling for?!"

  
  


Isaac's sharp voice cut into Garet's thoughts of Jenna like a knife. He closed his mouth abruptly, and turned red. Looking around, he saw that everyone was staring at him, looking torn between fear and curiosity. Then, the man who called himself Solaris now spoke up. 

  
  


"Erm, sorry if we seemed violent," muttered Solaris apologetically. "Bounty hunters were after us. It's normal when we travel." He said this like someone else would remark on the weather being cloudy.

  
  


All Garet could say was, "Can I look at your sword, Solaris?"

Solaris chuckled, and unsheathed his sword. The end of it was still stained red. The sword itself was extremely long with a razor-sharp tip. It stuck Garet slightly and his finger started to bleed. He ignored it however, and began to examine the sword with interest. It had a depiction of the sun on both sides of the blade, at the widest point. 

  
  


"It's difficult to lift it up," said Garet in surprise.

"You're the first who can," remarked Solaris. "Only Solar Adepts can lift that with ease."

"Huh?" said Isaac and the group together.

  
  


"Oh, I can see that this will take a little explaining," said Lunora. "Allow me." She cleared her throat.

  
  


"Many years ago, there were Adepts of two unheard elements: Sol and Luna. Now these-"

"It's like in Sol Sanctum!" interrupted Garet.

"Shut up a minute," said Isaac. "I want to hear this."

"These two elements coincided with the four main elements: Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, as you know. You have one of each type in your group."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Lunora continued, "However, a great war between Sol and Luna erupted about fifty years ago, and we basically annihilated each other. We are two of less than a hundred remaining," she finished. 

"Wow," said Isaac. "However, I have one question: why didn't anything appear about your two elemental powers or the Great War in any of the History of Alchemy books?"

"That was the worst civil ever fought by Adepts. Hundreds of thousands of Adepts of all elemental types were killed. Venus Adepts were killed because of their combined power and limited healing strengths. Mars adepts were killed because of their sheer power. Jupiter Adepts were killed because of their cleverness and deceptiveness, and Mercury Adepts were killed because, naturally, of their healing powers. So, after the war ended, all clans decided not to record any history of it, as it was a memory most wanted to forget." 

  
  


She sighed and her gaze fell on Garet, who was still swinging the sword. She smiled slightly as she watched Garet work with the sword.

  
  


"Like that?" remarked Solaris. "It's called the Sol Blade. One of only two in existence."

"Where's the other one?" asked Garet. "I'd sure like to use it."

"You're a Mars Adept, correct?" inquired Lunora. Garet nodded. "Well, the other blade is rumored to be in the Mars Lighthouse somewhere, high atop Magma Rock. It was left there by a man named Saturos."

  
  


At this, Isaac's, Ivan's and Mia's eyes widened. Garet stopped swinging the sword. 

"Saturos had a blade like this?" asked Garet.

"Saturos was in the Mars Lighthouse?" gasped Mia.

"What, do you know him?" asked Ivan, looking astonished.

"Yes," said Lunora. "Well, kind of. I only know what I've been told, though. He used it for a little while. It was passed down from the famous warrior Agatio."

The group's eyes widened even more. Solaris interjected, "Saturos, Agatio's 'apprentice', was instructed to leave it in the lighthouse to gain some of its magical energy back, or do he said. However, the sword fell down a crevice, and Saturos was never able to find it. Agatio was most displeased."

"Why did Agatio put it in the lighthouse in the first place? Swords don't run out of magical energy, do they?" asked Ivan.

"You're a bright youngster," said Lunora, smiling at him. "You are quite correct. That was Agatio's lie to Saturos. The truth is that Agatio didn't need it anymore. It became too easy to use and he became so dangerous with it that he decided to have Saturos leave it in the Mars Lighthouse. But as Solaris said, Saturos lost it."

"How do you know all this?" asked Isaac, listening hard.

Solaris's face darkened. "It's a fact about myself that I try hard to hide, except from those I trust," he said. "I was related to him."

  
  


Isaac looked baffled. So did everyone else, except Lunora.

  
  


"Yes," Solaris said, irritation now in his voice. "Hey Garet, is that your name?" 

"Yep," said Garet, finally putting the sword down.

"The reason you can handle that sword so well is because you're a Mars Adept. The Solar Adepts stemmed from them. Though it is better equipped with a Solar Adept, Mars Adepts can use it almost as well.

  
  


"When I was merely a small lad, I often went with my older brother, Saturos, to his training lessons to see Master Agatio. That's what Saturos called him, anyway. I was in awe of Agatio's power. Agatio used that Sol Blade with such grace, speed, and precision, that no one could see it or know where it went until Agatio stopped moving his hand. Saturos learned how to use the blade efficiently as well, but he was never as good with it as Master Agatio. Agatio sensed that, so he never entrusted the sword to him. 

"But man oh man, could Agatio use that sword! He was my hero, my idol. When I was young, I always aspired to be like him . . . a traveling warrior. A warrior with such skill as a swordsman that I could take on an army!

"When I grew older however, and learned of what he was about to do with the Elemental Stars, I grew to despise him, as I still do today. I stole his other Sol Blade from his sleeping quarters, and have been training with it ever since, remembering the movements he taught Saturos. I'm not as good with it as Agatio either, but, as you saw, I can get by," Solaris finished. 

  
  


Isaac couldn't think of what to say. All he knew right now is that if Solaris could do what Isaac had just seen him do, then Agatio must have been something else. Of course, he knew that Solaris and Lunora were not evil like Karst and Agatio, but it took him awhile to absorb it. 

"Karst and Agatio have our elemental stars," said Lunora, "and I sense that you have the Mars Star, Garet." 

"Yes," said Ivan. "They have the Jupiter Star, as well. Hey, wait a minute. You said that Karst and Agatio have your elemental stars? If so then you must have lighthouses for each of them, right?" 

"You are bright," said Lunora, smiling at him again. "I'm quite fond of intelligent people." Ivan grinned and looked away. "Yes, we do have Sol and Luna lighthouses. The Luna Lighthouse is at the southern tip of Tundaria, the continent to the far south. When night falls upon Tundaria, a moon is visible off of Gaia falls, only to those who live south of the ridge in Tundaria."

"Cool," said Garet, picking up the Sol Blade, and starting to swing it around again. "What about the Sol Lighthouse? Where's it at?"

"Eheheh . . ." said Solaris. "We don't know."

"You don't know?" said Mia. "Oh well, I'm sure we'll find it."

"That's what I was going to ask you," said Lunora cautiously. "Will you let us accompany you on your travels?"

Isaac looked to the rest. "What do you think guys? I'm up for it." The rest agreed. Both Solaris and Lunora grinned. "Great," she said. "We like to keep to ourselves most of the time, so we'll be out of your way."

  
  


"By the way, Lunora, what is your weapon? We've heard so much about the Sol Blade that we didn't even see yours," said Mia.

  
  


Lunora smiled at Mia, and withdrew her weapon. Mia gasped. It was one of the most beautiful staffs she had ever seen. It appeared to be made of pure silver, and a glistening crystal blue orb rested at the top, a moon-rock carved into a perfect crescent moon encased inside it. A mystical aura hung around the sphere, silvery stuff twinkling out at all of them, reflecting the sunlight.

  
  


"It's quite pretty, isn't it?" remarked Lunora. "It is the only one in the world, and it was said to have been made in the Luna Lighthouse many hundreds of years ago."

  
  


After admiring the weapon at all angles, they decided to go. Garet handed back Solaris's Sol Blade. Solaris grinned at him and sheathed it. Then the new party of six: Isaac, hand in hand with Mia, and Garet, Ivan, Solaris (who carried both of the food barrels under his arms), and Lunora all set off for their Lemurian ship.

  
  


"Are you sure we can trust them, though?" asked Ivan, looking at Isaac.

"Listen, we need all the help we can get," said Isaac. "I'm a little wary of them right now too, but who knows. They may turn out to be very nice people, and by the looks of it, they're good warriors."

"But so are Karst and Agatio," said Mia.

"That's why we need these two," said Garet, siding with Isaac. "I agree. Even if we don't know them, like Isaac said, we need all the help we can get."

  
  


************************

  
  


Well, that's that. I really don't have much to say, except that I hope these changes made the chapter better. I really do . . . I'm learning as I go, you know. 

  
  


Oh, and if you don't review, I'll make sure that you'll be afraid of geckos for the rest of your life. Got it?


	3. Gone to the Wind

Yes, it is your one and only SirGecko speaking again. I am here with the third chapter for you folks. Slightly longer than the second, but not by much. Perhaps half of a page.

  
  


I do not have much to talk about here (since I mostly covered it during the second chapter), but I do wish to thank all of my reviewers, whoever you are. Your support/criticism is much appreciated, and I want you all to know that. Give yourself a pat on the back. 

  
  


And now, for the disclaimer. You all should have enough sense to know that I don't own Golden Sun, but I'm gonna tell you anyway since I have a gecko of mine standing in the freezer chyucking ice cubes at me. So, here goes *conk*. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. You happy now, you damn geckos? Good. 

  
  


Now, without further ado, onto chapter 3!

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 3: Gone to the Wind

  
  


Back on the ship, Isaac and company set to work. Isaac and Mia put away the food that they had bought, and Garet and Ivan set about making a living area for Solaris and Lunora inside their remaining cabin. Since Isaac and Mia were working by themselves, they had a chance to talk.

  
  


"What do you think of Solaris and Lunora?" asked Isaac to Mia. 

"Well, I don't think they're allied with Karst and Agatio. And they seem very nice, but a little bit quiet. I guess we have no choice but to let them do what they wish," said Mia. 

"They're only quiet because they haven't adjusted to us yet," said Isaac. "Trust me, they'll be more sociable as the days go by."

"I guess you're right about that," said Mia.

"Solaris is pretty good-looking, isn't he?" remarked Isaac.

"What's your point?" asked Mia. Isaac shrugged. "I just thought he was good-looking, not to be disgusting or anything."

"Oh Isaac, did you think I'd really be attracted to him?" said Mia, glancing at Isaac.

"Well . . .to be honest . . .yes, a little," said Isaac slowly, avoiding Mia's gaze.

"I can see how you'd think that," said Mia, with no irritation in her voice. "However, even though he is good-looking, I was taught at a very young age that you have to commit to the decisions you make."

"Oh . . .okay," said Isaac, beginning to understand.

"Besides, I think you're better-looking than him," said Mia smiling at Isaac, and wrapping her arms around his waist. "For some reason, macho-guys don't really attract me."

"Right," said Isaac, sounding much happier.

  
  


Meanwhile, things weren't going too well over where Ivan, Garet, Solaris, and Lunora were inside a vacant cabin. Garet wasn't helping set things up at all; he was leaning against the wall talking to Solaris.

  
  


"So, do your clans have any Djinn? Like us?" 

"Yes, we do," said Solaris. "Solar Djinn look similar to the Mars Djinn. They have . . . oh, maybe it's better if I just show you." 

  
  


And to Garet's great surprise, Solaris pulled seven Djinn from the knapsack that was slung over his back. As he studied them, he saw that they were indeed similar to Mars Djinn in size and shape, but they were yellow and they had a Sun on their tail. Garet took out his Djinn as well, and he saw the similarities and differences even better than before. 

  
  


"Their names are Flare, Heat, Pyro, Core, Supernova, Boil, and Aurora," said Solaris. The Solar and Mars Djinn seemed to like each other, and they went off into a corner to talk. 

"Hey, Lunora," said Garet. "Do you have any Djinn?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do," she said. "Their names are Crater, Darkness, Eclipse, Aura, Midnight, Phase, and Season. She pulled out seven Djinn from her knapsack as well. They looked like Mercury Djinn, only they were black in color, they the full moon was on the ends of their tails, and where the points on the Mercury Djinn's head should be, there were crescent moons. 

"They look nice, too," said Ivan. "We should get Mia in here to see what she thinks of them."

"She's probably too involved with Isaac right now," said Garet scornfully.

"Garet, are you jealous?" said Ivan teasingly.

"No, I'm not! I'm only saying that she's probably too busy right now," said Garet, looking embarrassed.

"Anyway, get over here and help me with this bed!" snapped Ivan. He was having trouble making it fit so that it wouldn't block the door. Garet came over and lifted one end of the bed into a corner, so that it fit easily in it. The beds were now on either side of the cabin. 

"Thanks," said Ivan, puffing. 

"Well, thank you guys very much," said Solaris. "I believe we'll be OK for now." Garet and Ivan nodded and left the room.

"Well, that's that," said Ivan. "I guess we should go see what Isaac's doing."

  
  


Garet didn't reply. He wasn't bothered by the fact that Isaac had a girlfriend, he was bothered by the fact that this meant that Isaac was spending a lot more time with her than with him, and they had known each other since birth. He was surprised that he was also feeling this way . . . 

  
  


They went over to Isaac's cabin door, and knocked. Isaac said, "Come in." So, Ivan and Garet entered Isaac's cabin. Isaac was sitting on his bed, reading a book about the history of the four elements. 

"Is everything OK?" asked Garet.

"Oh, fine," said Isaac, in a distant faraway tone.

"Are you sure?" asked Ivan.

"Yep," said Isaac, closing his book and putting it down. "So, how are Solaris and Lunora doing in their cabin?" 

"Just fine. They say that it's good for a ship," replied Garet.

"Hey, I just remembered. I was reviewing the map of Weyard and our current position. Ivan, we're making even better time than you thought because the tide is with us. We should be at the Jupiter Lighthouse by tomorrow afternoon, if not, earlier. We should hold a meeting tonight at dinner to discuss our plans."

"Where's Mia?" asked Garet.

"She's checking the potions and supplies," said Isaac. "Why?"

"No reason," said Garet, quickly. "What's for dinner?"

"Mia's cooking chicken," said Isaac. I figured we should take a break from energy mixes."

"Good idea," said Ivan gratefully. "Let's go see what we can do to help."

  
  


******* 

  
  


"Dinner's ready!" Garet roared up the stairs to Solaris and Lunora. Isaac, Ivan, and Mia were just bringing out baked chicken and rice from the kitchen. The smell wafted over toward Garet, and he started to feel the familiar pangs of greediness that he only felt around good food.

Solaris and Lunora came thumping down the stairs. They sniffed the air and showed signs of approval at the delicious smells of chicken. They sat themselves at the short end of the table. Isaac sat on the other side of them. Mia sat to his right, Garet to his left. Ivan sat between Mia and Lunora. Lunora smiled at him as he sat down, and he grinned back.

  
  


"Okay," said Isaac importantly, stepping into his role as leader of the team. "We are here." He pointed to the southern tip of Hesperia. "Jupiter Lighthouse is here." he pointed in the central part of the continent. "We'll dock at this beach directly west of the lighthouse. The river that stands between the beach and the lighthouse is shallow and narrow, so we can wade across it without any problems. 

  
  


"That's the easy part. The lighthouse itself is the hard part. No one who has entered that is non-adept has survived it. That tell me that there are either really tough monsters, really dangerous traps, or both. Either way, we have to prepare for both."

  
  


"I don't think the monsters of Jupiter are that tough," remarked Solaris slowly. "I think it's just full of complicated puzzles that get everyone lost. They die trying to find their way out."

  
  


"Like I've said before, it's better to be safe than sorry," said Isaac. "We shall prepare for both."

"You're the boss," said Garet. "We'll do whatever you say."

"I knew you wouldn't let us down," said Mia, her eyes sparkling.

"See, this is why you're our leader," said Ivan. "You always think ahead."

"Yes, you do seem well-traveled to be thinking along those lines," added Lunora. "But, you hold wise information, and Solaris and I will do as you command."

"It's decided then," said Isaac. "I have watch tonight. If we get there early, I'll sound the bell. As unpredictable as the tides are now, I advise all of you to get prepared tonight."

"Right," said everyone.

  
  


And with the discussion over, they started to eat. It was some of the best chicken anyone had since Lalivero. 

  
  


"Boy, Mia, you sure do know how to cook," said Isaac, clasping her free hand.

"Delicious," said Lenora and Solaris.

"It's very good," said Ivan.

  
  


Garet was too busy chewing a lump of chicken in his mouth that was the size of the Black Orb, so he couldn't say anything. But judging from the brown mushy ball that everyone on the opposite side of the table could see, he thought it was good too. 

  
  


After dinner, they all went to prepare for the traps and monsters that would await them at the Jupiter Lighthouse. Isaac was already prepared, as he had shined and tested his armor and Gaia Blade, he went upstairs onto the deck and settled down on the steps. He had watch tonight. He sighed. Watch was so boring, it wasn't even funny. He wished Mia or Garet would come up so he'd have some company. To his relief, Garet came up from the stairwell, spotted Isaac, and sat down next to him. 

  
  


"Pretty dull, huh?" he remarked.

"Tell me about it," said Isaac.

"So tell me, how are things with you and Mia?" Garet asked.

"They're just fine," Isaac said, thinking about how cool it was to have Mia as his girlfriend.

"That's good," said Garet. 

"But, even though I have a girlfriend, and she is very important to me, you're still my lifelong friend, and that will never change," said Isaac. Garet smiled and looked away. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes.

"Well," said Garet, "I'd better go get ready."

"See ya later," said Isaac, watching Garet retreat down the steps. 

  
  


Mia came up a little bit later. "I thought you could use some company," she said sweetly, sitting down next to him. "I know how boring watch can be."

"Me too," said Isaac, and they both chuckled.

"Mind if I stay out here with you?" asked Mia.

"Not at all, I could use the company," said Isaac gratefully.

  
  


They did not talk for the remainder of the night. Mia fell asleep on the floor of the deck, and Isaac, longing to go to sleep as well, stayed up, scanning the horizons. His Djinn were checking the ship for any problems. He really liked his Djinn. They were good friends and partners. He heard them squabbling off in the background.

  
  


"I know I put the rope ladder here!" said Sap in an indignant squeak. "I used it to climb over the side of the ship and check for leaks."

"Dammit, Sap, it's not here!" came Flint's angry crisp voice. "This is where it's supposed to be."

"Don't I know that?" snapped Sap. "That's why-"

"Okay, all done with the ladder!" came a happy chirp. It was Quartz. She and Ground were carrying the ladder back where it belonged.

"Man, Quartz, you could've told me you borrowed it," said Sap tiredly. "I just got chewed out by Flint."

"Oops, sorry," said Quartz sheepishly. 

"That must have been hardcore," whispered Ground. "Not very pleasant when he chews you out, is it?"

"Not at all," said Sap. "I think he gets enjoyment out of it. Even though he's still our friend . . ."

"What are you talking about over there?" said Flint suspiciously.

"Oh nothing. Just about how unpleasant it is when we get chewed out by you," said Sap casually. 

"I did not chew you out!" squeaked Flint, and the whole process started again.

  
  


Isaac chuckled as he heard them argue. He knew Flint was the one to take charge. Usually, his other Djinn didn't mind, but Flint could be bossy when he wanted to. Isaac stared around at the skyline, and at the same time listening to his Djinn, for a long time after Mia had fallen asleep.

  
  


*******

  
  


Garet was thinking about what Isaac had said to him a few hours before. It had felt good to hear that from him, even though he knew they were best friends before he said that. He sat there, shining his armor and weapons and organizing his items and potions. All of a sudden, he heard a call from up above, on the deck.

  
  


"Jupiter Lighthouse, dead ahead!" Isaac roared.

  
  


**************************

  
  


Well, there you have it, my first noticable cliffhanger. Now, excuse me while I go into deliberation with my geckos on whether we want you to wait for the next chapter for a day or two longer, ow whether to show mercy and get it to you by Thursday. 

  
  


Oh yes. Review, or you shall suffer the wrath! 

  
  



	4. Mysteries of the Jupiter Lighthouse

Yo! It's me, SirGecko, back with the 4th chapter for you readers!

  
  


Okay. Originally I intended to save the update for Friday Morning, but I think I'll update now, thanks to the reviewers who like my story. And about that . . . I want to thank you once again. Get used to it, because I'm gonna do that every chapter. Count yourselves lucky, because that's what convinced me to update now! . . . On a kinder note, I really appreciate it. Thanks again.

  
  


This chapter is going to be similar in length to the 1st chapter. About 7.25 pages. So, that should be worth the very lengthy day-and-a-half wait I set up for all of you (sarcasm detected). 

  
  


So, for that damn disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. There, that should do it. Oh yes. My geckos have told me to be evil and wait 'till Friday morning to update, but I'm not listening to them now (they don't know this, so don't snitch on me). 

  
  


Now, read and enjoy chapter 4!

  
  


Chapter 4: Mysteries of the Jupiter Lighthouse

  
  


Isaac's yell awoke Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora. They all got up, stretched their legs and put on their boots. They stamped up the stairs leading on deck, groggy-eyed, with their weapons drawn. 

  
  


"Good thinking, guys," said Isaac. "Sea monsters are probably thick around the lighthouse."

  
  


He was right. They fought off sea dragons, man-o-wars, seagulls, and many other fierce creatures on the way to the lighthouse.

  
  


"Dammit!" cursed Isaac, as a man-o-war stung him on the arm. He gained revenge on the man-o-war by slicing its tentacles off. The then picked it up and chucked it against a rock. It splattered into a hundred pieces.

"Are you okay?" asked Mia, coming over to heal his sting after fighting off a sea dragon.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Isaac, feeling the arm heal perfectly. She clasped his hand for a second, then went off to check the others for battle wounds.

  
  


All of the monsters they had been fighting made them forget when they were going to land. They all found out when the boat crashed against the sandy beach west of the lighthouse. Everyone fell to the floor. They got up, shaken, but alright. They dusted themselves off, and lowered the ladder to get off the ship. After everyone was down, they set off towards the Jupiter Lighthouse.

  
  


"Monsters are ahead," said Lunora. "I can use the power of the moon to shine light on darkened areas, and it lets me see where monsters lay hidden."

"Good," said Isaac. "That'll reduce the number of surprise attacks we'll encounter."

  
  


Monsters ambushed them soon afterward. Six of them, gargoyles with wings that were very quick and could dodge many regular attacks. After much fighting and little progress, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia were growing exhausted.

  
  


"I'm out of energy," panted Isaac.

"Me too," gasped Garet, gasping for breath.

"So am I," wheezed Ivan, clutching a stitch in his side.

"Count me in," sighed Mia, leaning on her Crystal Rod for support.

"I'll fix this," said Lunora. She put her hands together, facing Isaac and company (in the background, Solaris was slicing Gargoyle heads off left and right, but they just kept coming). Black stars began to float out of Lunora's hands. They encircled Isaac and company, and they felt their energy restore completely.

"There," said Lunora happily. "That should help."

"What Psynergy is that?" asked Ivan with interest.

"That can wait," said Isaac. "We must help Solaris."

"No," said Solaris, finally showing signs of fatigue. "Let me handle this." 

"AAAARRRRGHH!" he roared. Or so it looked. The voice was not his, but it was the Sol Blade's. What came next was truly spectacular.

  
  


Solaris held the sword above his head as though he were going to Death Plunge somebody. The tip of the sword glowed a yellow, red, and orange mix. The light was so bright, it made the surroundings around them as though they were lit up by the light of day. A beam shot out of the tip of the sword, enveloping the gargoyles, paralyzing them. Then, yellow beads of energy started to spiral around the beam. The Beads struck the gargoyles. Those beads must have been full of magical energy, because they incinerated all the gargoyles in less than a minute. The unleash ended. Solaris leaned on his sword, panting.

  
  


"Damn, man, I gotta get me one of those!" yelled Garet. "When can we get to Mars Lighthouse?"

Solaris laughed. "The Mars lighthouse is after the Luna Lighthouse, which is next on the list," he said. "But I have some news that may disappoint you. The Sol Blade found in the Mars Lighthouse doesn't unleash what I just did: Sol's Fury."

"What?" said Garet, sounding disappointed.

"Well, so I've heard, when the swords were made, the craftsman made one tiny flaw in the other sword. Or maybe it was my sword . . . anyway, it still unleashes an extremely powerful summon, but not quite the same, as the craftsman intended. I haven't seen the unleash, I only know has it has something to do with a rock."

"A rock?" whined Garet. "That's a ripoff. But I still want it!"

Solaris snickered, and then sheathed his sword. "Well, shall we proceed? We still have the river to cross. Good thing too. No monsters inhabit the rivers. So any resting should be done in the river." 

And with that, the team proceeded. The wind ruffled their hair as they got closer and closer to the lighthouse. Isaac and the others could see the trees next to the lighthouse bended over nearly horizontal as the branches shook violently. 

  
  


They reached the river not long afterward, small waves moving along it as the wind pushed it downstream. At the shore, Lunora healed everyone, to Mia's slight displeasure.

"She's starting to make me look bad," she said to Isaac.

"I don't care how good she is, you've healed far more wounds of mine than she has," said Isaac flatly. Mia smiled.

"Hey Lunora, what Psynergy is that you used again?" asked Ivan.

"Oh that's right, I forgot to tell you," said Lunora quickly. "It's called Lunar Aura. It brings out the ancient healing waters and dust of the moon and uses it to calm the nerves and restore lost strength." "You've got some pretty impressive Psynergy there," said Ivan. Lunora smiled at him, her long, silver hair billowing out behind her in the sudden wind that aroused. "Thank you." 

After checking to make sure that everyone was ready to go, they proceeded. At the other side of the river, they expected to meet heavy resistance. But, apparently, Solaris's unleash had scared the remaining monsters away. Indeed, Isaac could have sworn that he saw the quivering wing of a gargoyle that was hiding behind a large tree. They proceeded with little difficulty to the entrance of the Jupiter Lighthouse.

  
  


They looked up. It was by far the most beautiful lighthouse they had seen yet. The stones were granite, but they had a purplish tint in them. The lighthouse was as tall as the rest, and it had a lot of branches on its sides. And on closer inspection, they saw, with relief, that the beacon had not been lit yet.

  
  


"Why isn't the beacon lit, if they got a day's start on us?" said Garet.

"Use your brains," said Ivan sarcastically. "If they hadn't lit the beacon yet, than obviously the tides were against them. If the tides were not with us, the beacon would've been lit by now. Probably while you were slacking off when we were organizing Solaris's and Lunora's cabin."

Lunora giggled. Garet scowled. "I get your point, Ivan," he said through gritted teeth.

  
  


Now, everyone collected their breath, and put their nerves aside. "Okay, Ivan, you go in front," said Isaac.

  
  


Ivan walked forward, and stopped in front of the magnificent granite doors. The doors made a whooshing sound, and then opened. The whole group was hit with a sharp blast of freezing cold air. Ivan stepped back, slightly reeled from the cold air. He retreated beside Isaac and Mia, and they entered the Jupiter Lighthouse.

  
  


Right away, they all could see that this lighthouse climb was not going to be easy. Magical energy beams and purple pads were everywhere. It was extremely cold, and wind gusted throughout the place, blowing everybody's hair in all directions. This was especially a problem for the girls, as their hair lashing against their face was like being whipped with a wire. 

  
  


They all looked around in more detail. Sure, Jupiter reigned high and mighty here, and everybody could see Ivan more energetic than when watching Isaac at Colosso. They saw a stone tablet lying in front of them.

  
  


"Hey, this tablet had words written on them, in the ancient language of the Jupiter clan!" said Ivan. "I believe I can translate the words."

  
  


Ye who seek to climb the Jupiter Lighthouse, must peer into it's mysteries using the mind, body and soul. Without faith in yourself, ye shall not succeed. Below is the Jade enabling the hover ability, and the Chip of the Advanced Cyclone, which none but a Jupiter Adept can master. Now go forth, Adepts of renown, and conquer the puzzles ahead!

  
  


"Well, it sounds like we have our work cut out for us," said Isaac heavily. "Do you see the Chip of the Advanced Cyclone and the Hover Jade there, Ivan?" 

"Yeah," said Ivan. "I wonder why Alex, Karst, and Agatio didn't steal them." 

"Probably because they had Sheba with them, and she already knew that Psynergy," said Isaac.

Ivan equipped both items, and he quickly got used to them. And so they climbed. And they climbed. Hours later, they had run into many dead ends, and they were exhausted. They had taken so many paths at forks that they didn't even know which floor they were on for a while.

  
  


Monsters were everywhere, big, tough, evil monsters that were a good challenge to the team. The Gargoyles here were not friendly, and when fueled by their element, it made them all the more difficult to slay.

  
  


By the time they fought off what felt to be their thousandth monster, and tripped what felt to be their millionth switch, they all collapsed on the floor, defeated, frustrated, and exhausted.

  
  


"Dammit, I hate not knowing where we're supposed to go!" cursed Garet.

"We all do, not just you," said Mia. "Ivan, do you have any idea where we are?" 

"Well, I know we're on the second floor . . . other than that, I only know one thing," he said.

"What's that?" asked Solaris.

"We're lost," said Ivan simply. Lunora laughed while the rest of the group scowled at him.

"Great, just great," said Solaris irritably. "We're lost. Like we already didn't know that."

"I have an idea," said Isaac. "Why don't I Retreat us back to the entrance and we can start over?" "Good idea," said Mia. And so Isaac did. A second later, they all found themselves at the bottom of the lighthouse.

"Well, we know the path we took does not work," said Ivan, trying to break down the situation. This means that we have two paths to choose from that are left." He looked down the right one. "I can actually sense that this is not the correct path, so it must be the other one," he finished.

  
  


And they proceeded down the left path. It was actually fairly straight-forward; Ivan had to use Cyclone and Hover here and there. Apparently, their trip down the other path had not been wasted; the doors and other enchantments that would've blocked their way had disappeared. The monsters were the tough part.

  
  


"Aack!" said Ivan, as one of the gargoyle's talons cut into his arm. 

  
  


Blood flowed freely from the wound, and dripped onto the stone floor of the lighthouse. Ivan gained revenge, however, by chopping the gargoyle's head in half with an unleashed Asura from his Kikuichimonji. 

  
  


"Oh, God," said Ivan. "I think that talon did more than just cut into me," said Ivan, doubling over in pain. 

"He's right," said Mia, bending down to look at the wound. "Poison has now flown though his bloodstream. But it's not too late yet. I can correct it with Cure Poison." 

  
  


She focused her healing powers on Ivan's arm. Ivan felt the poison leave his body, but he felt drained. Fortunately, he was at the Jupiter Lighthouse, and the power here would recharge him enough to bring him back to where he was before he got wounded. 

"You're lucky Mia's such a good healer," said Solaris to Ivan. "None but a strong Mercury Adept could remove that much bane from your bloodstream."

"Thanks, Mia," said Ivan.

"No problem," said Mia, now healing the cut itself.

  
  


They proceeded, encountering more resistance. Ivan led them, slaughtering evil gargoyles left and right, fully fueled not only by the powers of the lighthouse, but also by the lust for revenge. Lunora helped him, staying by his side.

"You're pretty feisty when it comes to revenge," she teased, smiling at him.

"Yeah," growled Ivan, as he slashed off a gargoyle wing. "For some reason, having them slash me and poison me at the same time kinda gets on my nerves." He said this with a mix of sarcasm and amusement. Lunora obviously caught the amusement part of his statement, for she giggled.

  
  


All of a sudden, they heard a noise behind a small hidden wall. Ivan went over and approached the wall. When he got near it, out jumped a Jupiter Djinni! Ivan, startled, jumped back, as the Djinni began to speak.

  
  


"My name is Whorl," said the Djinni. "You all look mighty powerful, but show me in a battle!"

  
  


They all charged forward to engage the Djinni. This Djinni was tough, and it used moves like Destruct Ray and Spark Plasma often. But, it did go down fairly quickly with the combined might of Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora. But, that didn't mean that they weren't fazed by the Djinni. As Garet said, "That little guy put up one helluva fight!" 

  
  


"You are indeed powerful! Wind Adept, what is your name?" said Whorl.

"It's Ivan, and my companions are Isaac, Garet, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora," he said, pointing to each one as he said their name. 

"Good. Well, Ivan, I am now yours to use!" said Whorl, and he joined with Ivan. 

  
  


The other Djinn soon got to know Whorl, and he was indeed respectable among the Djinn. Ivan didn't think he'd have any problem fitting in.

  
  


Continuing on, they encountered more monster resistance, but nothing Ivan and Lunora couldn't handle. After a few more gargoyles were slain by Ivan and Lunora (they hadn't still seen Lunora's staff unleash anything, but they were all still hoping), They finally reached the fifth floor of the lighthouse. Ahead, there lie another stone tablet, written in the same ancient language. Ivan stepped forward to translate:

  
  


"I congratulate ye for reaching the final floor of the Jupiter Lighthouse. However, your challenge is not over yet. In thy room ahead, you will face a room containing puzzling mirages. Lethal traps litter the room ahead. Pitfalls of lethal cunning. One you fall in, you don't come back up. Unless ye wish to spend the rest of your life in the Core of Jupiter Lighthouse, proceed with caution!"

And underneath the words was another message, extremely short. Ivan looked at it and read:

  
  


The Solar Lighthouse

  
  


The message stopped unfinished. 

  
  


"What about the Solar Lighthouse?" said Garet. He pounded the stone in frustration, resulting in immense pain in his right hand.

"Idiot," muttered Ivan. "Before we were distracted by Garet's brain going on vacation, the stone had mentioned the room ahead being littered with pitfalls."

"Well, this sounds rather dangerous," said Isaac, failing to keep a steady voice.

"Perhaps Ivan and I should lead," whispered Lunora. "We have the ability to see what others can't."

"Fine with me, just keep us alive," said Garet.

"She will, trust me," said Solaris. "She's saved my butt many times." 

  
  


The group proceeded, and entered the last room, and they saw the staircase on the other side. The room was completely void of any monsters. There were only statues that lined the room. The room was also divided into 36 little squares identified by alternating colors of stone: blue, purple, and white. They all had hoverpads on them. They appeared faulty, however, because they kept flickering on and off. They noticed that the pads stayed off a lot longer than they stayed on. Everything else seemed normal, but the group knew otherwise. Lunora and Ivan stepped in front, walking very slowly, searching with the power of True Sight for any pitfalls.

  
  


"Okay, this is what I'm reading," said Ivan. All of the white squares contain pitfalls except for the one in front of the stairs." All of the blue squares on our side of the room have pitfalls, and all of the purple squares on the opposite side have pitfalls. Is that what you read, Lunora?" 

"You truly read with your heart, didn't you?" said Lunora, smiling at Ivan. "Yes, I copied exactly that. This means that these squares have pitfalls."

  
  


She drew a piece of thin animal skin from her pocket on which she could write on, and a quill. She rote down all of the squares in the room, identifying them by the first letter of their color. The ones in bold had pitfalls. After she had finished, she showed the drawing to everybody.

  
  


"Okay. The best thing to do would be to take the second P in the closest row to us and continue diagonally left two more squares," she began, pointing to the indicated spots with the tip of her quill. "Then, we're going to have to cross diagonally up one square right. From here, continue diagonally up one square left. Next, continue diagonally one square right. Just to our north should be the stairs. Does everyone have that?"

"Got it, loud and clear," said Isaac. Everybody else nodded as well show that they understood.

"Okay, good. Ivan and I will take the lead." said Lunora. Everyone nodded. "Remember this is a matter of Life or Death. Let's go!"

It was tense work. Ivan took the lead and used Hover. Everyone followed in order of: Ivan, Lunora, Solaris, Garet, Isaac, and Mia. Everyone was careful. After a tense 20 minutes, Ivan, Lunora, Garet, and Solaris had made it to the stairs. Isaac was just about to reach them when he heard a scream behind him. He knew what it was instantly. Dreading what he saw, he turned around.

  
  


Mia had accidentally gone one square too far left, only about four inches above the edge of the purple square, to the left of the only safe white one. A faulty hoverpad was to blame. She had apparently floated over a square that turned off just as she hovered over it. The momentum of her fall carried her over the purple block. 

  
  


Isaac saw with some relief that her hands still clutched the side of the hole. Isaac instantly let himself onto the stairway so that he couldn't hover anymore. He looked over again for a split second. One of her hands had slipped off the edge. To his surprise, she wasn't screaming anymore. She wasn't even making noise. She just hung there, slipping away . . . Isaac then threw himself forward onto his stomach, skidding to a stop just short of Mia. He hurried and grabbed Mia's hands. With all his strength he managed to pull her back up. 

  
  


Mia just stood there, still in shock. Isaac grabbed her waist and, cracking a small smile said, "Don't ever scare me like that again. You almost gave me a heart attack."

  
  


Mia smiled slightly, and then she leaned forward planted a juicy kiss right on Isaac's lips. Isaac was ecstatic. She had finally kissed him. He stood there, enjoying it, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her arms rested on his shoulders, and clasped themselves together behind his neck. Isaac chose to pull apart first after he saw Garet, looking disgusted, and tapping his foot. He was looking up the stairway every now and then. 

  
  


Isaac blushed slightly but said, "I would never give up hope on you Mia. Never."

"As lovely as this is," said Garet sarcastically, "we need to stop the others before we kinda sorta get killed by something else that may be lurking in here . . . ALEX, for example?!" Solaris chuckled. Lunora however, scowled. 

"Mia has nearly been killed, and all you can say is that?" she said angrily. "You're one of the most insensitive people I've met." 

"Ouch," muttered Ivan, grinning as Garet turned away looking ashamed.

"I don't think he meant to put it that way, Lunora," said Solaris. "I think what he meant to say is that time is running short, and we must get to the beacon now." Mia nodded, along with Isaac. 

"Let's go!" said Isaac, taking the lead and heading up the stairs, Ivan close behind. Soon after, they emerged on the Jupiter Lighthouse aerie.

  
  


"Ha . . ." said Ivan. It was a breathtaking sight. The landscape and sea spanning out in all directions, and the beacon, to their relief, still void of any light. The stone was more magnificent than any they'd seen so far in the lighthouse. It gleamed as the dying sun painted a brilliant, flowing red all over the stone, which made it sparkle magnificently. 

  
  


"Ah . . . here they are," said a gleeful voice all of a sudden. "You guys are late!"

  
  


**********************

  
  


Now that's what I call a cliffhanger. Not the best, but better than any of my other ones so far. And if it makes you feel any better (ha ha), there's more to come.

  
  


Oh, and I apologize for my ancient language text. I'm not good at old-fashioned writing, so please forgive me. 

  
  


Now review! My geckos say that they will throw ice anyone who doesn't . . . OW! Damn, that hurt! . . . They tell me that that was just to prove the point. So I'd review if you know what's good for you. 


	5. New Enemies Tested

Hello again to you all! It's me, SirGecko, with chapter five, the revised version. Hopefully, this will be better than the previous chapter five, for I have removed some cheesy lines, some overreactions, and other miscellaneous things. 

  
  


This chapter is the first battle between Karst, Agatio, Alex, and Isaac and company. It's almost all Psynergy. It's 6 ½ pages long, so it's rather short. But, I hope you enjoy it anyway. It should be a little more bearable, at least. 

  
  


Okay then, I think that is all. Enjoy chapter 5! 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 5: New Enemies Tested

  
  


It was Karst. She stepped out of the shadows, trailing Alex and Agatio behind her. She looked triumphant about something.

  
  


"Oh, aren't you Hell's little angels," snarled Garet.

"How dare you," said the soft, even voice of Alex. "We're kind enough to wait for you, and all you can do in return is call us names?" 

At this, both Mia and Lunora glanced at him for a moment, their expressions not natural. Isaac didn't have time to figure them out before he heard voices in the background. 

  
  


Further back, on the other side of the aerie, Jenna and Sheba watched Isaac and company and then Karst's group start to talk. Jenna and Sheba started to talk amongst themselves.

  
  


"Look, there's Isaac and his friends," said Jenna. "They look pretty tough. Do think they could take on Agatio, Karst, and Alex if they got into a fight?"

"Yeah, I do," Sheba agreed. "I don't know who'd win, but it'd be a good fight. Tell me who's who again." Jenna pointed Isaac's friends out. "Okay then. Who are those other two people traveling with them?" Sheba asked. 

  
  


Jenna looked over, and saw that indeed there were two people standing with Isaac's friends that she had never seen before. Her eyes stalled on the man with the red cape and the long sword strapped to his back. But through the talk that followed, they found out their names.

"Please, Karst, let me kill them now," said Agatio. 

"No, we must make them watch the lighting of the Jupiter Beacon first," replied Karst, smirking at Isaac. "You little brats are going pay for the death of my sister."

"All of you, not just Isaac," said Agatio. "So . . ."

  
  


His voice trailed off. He was looking at someone in Isaac's group. Isaac followed Agatio's gaze, and it met Solaris. Solaris was wearing an expression not seen before by Isaac and the rest. There was hot fury erupting in Solaris's face.

  
  


"Well, we meet again, Solaris," said Agatio, rather pleasantly. He then turned to Lunora. "And just who the Hell are you?"

"It's Lunora," said Lunora curtly. 

"I see," said Agatio. He turned back to Solaris. "I do hope you're not here to avenge your brother's death."

"As a matter of fact, I am," Solaris snarled. Isaac looked at him in surprise.

"You seem surprised, my dear," said Karst. "You see, as dishonorable to Solaris as Saturos's intentions were, he was still his brother, and he loved him no matter what he did. He's not like us. As you're about to find out, he cannot simply discard someone he has no use for, as we have done."

"NO! You haven't hurt Jenna have you?" shouted Garet. At this, Jenna smiled slightly, finding out that Garet still had a crush on her.

"Jenna?" said Alex. "How could you think of such treachery? It is a sin to destroy a thing of beauty. No, we haven't touched her. But, I'm sorry to say, you won't be seeing Grandpa again."

"Grandpa? . . . What?! You killed Kraden?" yelled Isaac.

"No, not at all, we just conveniently misled him into the center of a pitfall. He was unable to hold on," said Karst.

  
  


Isaac drew his sword. He was starting to feel some of Solaris's fury well up within himself. Garet, Ivan and drew their weapons too. They saw Lunora and Mia do the same, their eves locked on Alex. Isaac still couldn't figure out the reasoning behind this.

  
  


"I presume that they wish to challenge us," said Alex. "Six on three. I hardly call this a fair fight, but even with your six people you'll be no match for our power. Felix!"

  
  


A dark-haired man stepped out of the shadows at Alex's words. He walked over to where Alex, Karst, and Agatio were standing. 

  
  


"Before we dispose of the followers, take the star and light the lighthouse!" Alex commanded.

"No!" Isaac rushed up to stop him, but Agatio, Karst, and Alex raised their palms.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Karst, smirking, her hand starting to blaze.

  
  


Isaac and the others were helpless. They all wanted to just leap after Felix, tackle him, and take the star, but then they'd be too vulnerable, and might get seriously injured, or killed, by the others. So, they had no choice but to obey Karst's command.

  
  


They all watched Felix stride over to the well in the center of the lighthouse, and drop the star in. Instantly, the lighthouse started to shake. A beam of glowing purple energy shot up through the well. There was an exploding sound within the core of the lighthouse, and then the great ball of swirling Jupiter energy shot through the well, illuminating the lighthouse aerie more brightly, and dulling up the red all over the stone.

  
  


"Now that that is taken care of," said Agatio, "we can get rid of you! All with Psynergy!" And so the battle began.

  
  


Agatio cast Meteor Blow on Isaac and company. Isaac and the others braced themselves. The meteor exploded in front of them. The heat from the impact seared all of them to the point where their armor turned black. Garet and Solaris got up first.

  
  


Solaris attacked with his Sol Blade. He was lucky. It unleashed Sol's Fury. Agatio was bombarded by the same beads of energy that had incinerated the Gargoyles hours before. Agatio looked Ashen-faced, having lost a lot of health and power, but he was ready for when his turn came. 

"Diamond Berg!" Alex yelled. The berg came crashing down on Garet. Alex started crushing the berg into tiny pieces, Garet being encased in the berg. Garet was bruised and bloody, and significantly drained on health, but he countered.

  
  


"Pyroclasm!" he roared. Four searing heat volcanoes erupted below Karst, Agatio, and Alex, Alex being the main target. All three took damage, Karst and Agatio Minimal. Alex, on the other hand, was scorched. Alex looked like he had just about had it. But he was still in the fight. Karst raised her palm.

  
  


"Supernova!" she shouted triumphantly. The air around Isaac and company heated up, compressed, and exploded all over them. Just like the heat from Agatio's attack, it seared them all. Ivan looked particularly weak, but he got to his feet and raised his palm.

  
  


"Spark Plasma!" he shouted. Towering thunderbolts shot down from nowhere and exploded all over Alex, Karst, and Agatio. Karst took the heaviest damage. Even so, all were left standing. Isaac raised his palm. 

  
  


"Odyssey!" he shouted. Suddenly, Agatio and Alex disappeared from Isaac's sight. He had only one mind-set. Attack Karst. Give Karst pain. Two long, thin, blue scimitars struck Karst. Then, Isaac's sword started to flash, and he charged forward. A HUGE sword followed him, and thrust itself into Karst. She took serious damage. Her chest was bleeding. She fell to the ground, twitching and moaning in agony. 

  
  


"You downed Karst," snarled Agatio. You'll pay for that soon!" Then, Mia raised her palm.

  
  


"Glacier!" she screeched. Instantly, shards of ice the size of boulders appeared out of thin air. They surrounded Agatio and Alex and began to crash down around them. Merging into one another, they froze Agatio and Alex briefly in a wall of ice. Agatio looked severely shaken, cuts and bruises lining his face, but Alex looked even more menacing than before, despite the little health that had been taken away from him by the Freeze Prism. He had been the main target in the attack.

  
  


Finally, Lunora raised her palm. All watched to see what kind of Psynergy she would wield. "I summon Io!" she called. Instantly all party members and enemies were warped to a distant moon, a moon turning itself inside out with volcanic eruptions. Alex and Agatio, not having encountered this magic, didn't know what to do. The moon emitted a few embers, and they flew at Agatio and Alex. When they hit the ground, they erupted. They erupted so forcefully, that it made Garet's Pyroclasm look like a mere campfire. Wave after wave of volcanic lava erupted over Agatio and Alex. All of a sudden they were warped back to the top of Jupiter Lighthouse.

  
  


Even though Agatio was a member of the Fire Clan, he took heavy damage. Alex had had it. "You should be the one to finish this battle," he said weakly to Agatio. "To avenge the falling of Karst."

  
  


"You've got it," sneered Agatio at the group, as Alex staggered away. "I will finish this. Time for round two!"

  
  


However, this time, Solaris was faster than his brother's master. He attacked once again. This time, he wasn't so lucky. His blade didn't unleash Sol's Fury, and Agatio dodged his blow. It was Agatio's turn.

  
  


"Rising Dragon!" he roared. There was a slight pause as he thought. 'This is a one-opponent attack. I have to choose which person to use it on. Ah, but of course, it's too simple.' He thrust his palm at Isaac. 

  
  


A mystical dragon came out of the floor of the lighthouse, mouth open. It swallowed Isaac, and continued upward, reaching for the sky. After getting about 100 feet into the air, the dragon exploded. Isaac took a significant amount of damage, not only from the dragon, but from his fall back to the lighthouse aerie. He lay there, motionless. A thin red line came streaking out from under his head.

  
  


"Isaac!" Mia yelled, starting to rush over to him. 

"No, don't do it, Mia!" Garet shouted.

"Ivan, how could you say something like that? He's your best friend, my . . .!" she shrieked, starting to dissolve into tears.

"I know that!" Garet. "That's why I'm telling you not to do this!"

Mia looked questioningly up at him, streaks running down from her eyes.

"If we help Isaac, and let down our guard, Agatio will defeat all of us, and there'll be none of us left to cure Isaac. Now let's battle!" roared Garet. He whispered to Ivan, "Defend. You need to. Besides, this is a personal issue between me and Mia."

"Lover's quarrel?" jeered Agatio.

"Oh, go to Hell," sneered Garet. He was ready. 

  
  


Garet cast Liquefier. Mars energy gathered at his fingertips, and then exploded out into nothing. Then all of a sudden, rods of energy shot up under Agatio. Being a Mars Adept, this did little damage. However, Agatio was showing signs of fatigue. It was up to Mia to finish him off.

  
  


"Ice Missile!" she shouted. Shards of piercing ice, one after another, fell on Agatio. The wave lasted for at least five seconds (that's a long time if you're weak to that particular type of Psynergy). After the shards of ice ceased, they got a good look at Agatio.

  
  


He had small holes all over his body from where the shards of ice pierced him. Blood was oozing from each opening. Both he and Garet, Ivan, and Mia knew that he could fight no more. He retreated to where Alex was sitting, gasping and wheezing.

  
  


Solaris stepped forward, Sol blade in his hand. He twirled it around in his hand once, and raised it above Agatio's heart.

  
  


"Go ahead, kill me," whispered Agatio menacingly. "Saturos was a worthless apprentice anyway."

"You want me to kill you?" said Solaris softly. And then Garet saw the boiling anger erupt once again in his face. "With pleasure!!!" Solaris roared.

  
  


Solaris brought down the sword with great speed. But someone's speed was greater. Another weapon intercepted the Sol Blade, knocking it off course. Solaris was clearly not expecting this, for the Sol Blade shot out of his hands. It skidded across the roof of the lighthouse. It was about to fall off the lighthouse entirely, but Garet lunged forward and grabbed the hilt just in time. Solaris looked over to see who had foiled his attempt to destroy Agatio.

  
  


It was Karst. She looked weaker than ever, her chest and armor bloody. "Nice try . . . Solaris," she rasped triumphantly. Alex had removed Karst from the thick of battle, and revived her. He then fully healed both her and Agatio.

  
  


"You won," said Alex. "Though I hardly call that battle a fair fight."

"That's not our fault!" said Ivan defiantly. "Who were the ones who thought they were so high and mighty that they could beat us?" Agatio, Alex, and Karst didn't answer. "And now look at you," said Ivan, smirking. "We beat you into the ground!" 

"I'd watch your mouth, you nasty little kid," snarled Karst. "Didn't that Master Hammock guy, or whatever his name was, teach you any manners? Anyway, it doesn't matter. If you want to get personal about it, then we can fight here and now, just the two of us! Come on!" 

  
  


"That's not a very wise decision," said Lunora, stepping in front of Ivan. "Even though Alex has healed you, you have not fully recovered from that fight. Therefore, you would lose."

  
  


"I really hate to say it, but for once, Lenarda has a point," said Agatio. Both Lunora and Karst scowled at him. 

  
  


"So be it," said Alex. "We shall take our leave now. But keep this in mind. While you may have won the battle, you still failed in your initial goal. Until we meet again, atop the Luna Lighthouse!" With that, he, Karst, and Agatio and Felix, Sheba, and Jenna teleported away. 

  
  


"Well, that's that," said Garet happily, despite the lingering feeling in the back of his mind that told him that Alex had made a good point. "We beat the hotheaded fools until they ran away! How about that, Ivan?" Ivan nodded happily. "Huh Mia? . . .Mia?" Garet looked around for Mia. He saw her standing over Isaac, healing him, or at least, trying to.

  
  


"Come on, Isaac," she said, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Don't die on me! Please, wake up!" She put the last of her Psynergy into Isaac, tears streaming down her face. "Please, Lunora, help me!" 

  
  


"I wish I could," said Lunora sadly. "That Io summon drained all of my Psynergy. I assure that I'd help you if I could."

  
  


Garet was sitting on the steps leading up to the well where the Jupiter light was glowing brightly. He was looking at Mia and Isaac. He was resting his head in his hands, watching apprehensively. Solaris came up to him.

  
  


"It'll be okay, pal," he said, sitting down next to him. 

"I only wish we could do more to help him," said Garet miserably. "You don't think he'll die, do you?" 

"No, of course not," said Solaris reassuringly. He clapped Garet on the back. "Mia's a good healer. I can sense it. She'll get him back."

  
  


Mia was trying to find any last bit of Psynergy she could use to help Isaac, but she couldn't use any more. Isaac still hadn't moved. She laid her head down on Isaac's neck, sobbing. She didn't care that her face was stained red by this time . . . 

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac opened his eyes, his vision bleary. It was totally dark all around him. "Where am I?" asked Isaac, his voice echoing strangely. No answer came to him. "I demand that I know where I am!" he shouted, voice still echoing. Still no answer. 

  
  


Isaac got up with great difficulty from where he was lying, and began to walk, very slowly, around. He was looking for some familiar sign, hopefully Garet, Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora. He could see nothing. His eyes soon became accustomed to the dark and he finally started to notice his surroundings.

  
  


He was standing on a large platform in a black room, however the platform was lit up slightly. He could not see anything two feet outside of the beam of light. On all sides of the platform, he could see a bottomless pit. All of a sudden, he saw something stir in the shadows, or rather, he sensed it.

  
  


"Wh-Who's there?" he stammered. And then, without warning, something huge, smoky, and menacing barreled out of the blackness, and it was heading straight for him.

  
  


"Aaughh!" he screamed. He ducked, and by lucky chance, the shadow overpassed him. The shadow halted, and turned around. Isaac got a good view of the shadow. It looked like the Grim Reaper. 

Isaac knew somehow, as the Reaper Shadow made to charge at him again, that this time, no matter what he tried to do, that shadow would sweep through him and steal his life energy away. As the shadow came around for a second sweep, Isaac dived into the bottomless pit . . .

  
  


*******

  
  


"No, Isaac! Please, don't be dead! Wake up!" 

Mia was still pleading into his neck. Isaac groaned. Mia stopped crying, and looked up. Isaac still hadn't moved, and his eyes were still closed. 

  
  


'No,' she thought. 'I must have imagined it.' However, she watched, holding her breath. Isaac groaned again, and this time, she knew it was real.

"Isaac! Thank the gods! I thought you had died!" Mia started sobbing again, this time with tears of happiness.

  
  


"Oh Mars," said Garet. "He's alive. Solaris, he's alive!" 

Solaris grinned at him. "See? What did I tell you?"

  
  


Isaac sat up, groaning with the pain he felt in his muscles, unaware of what was going on. Then, he saw Mia, kneeling next to him. Her eyes were flowing with tears. He managed a small smile, and joked, "Remember when I said never to scare me like that? Looks like I have no room to talk now. What I put you through was an understatement to scary."

  
  


Mia flung her arms around him, sobbing. "Now, really," said Isaac, looking quite surprised. "I'm just fine."

  
  


"Don't kid yourself," said Garet. "You look like Hell."

"Garet!" snapped Lunora, while Solaris snickered. 

"What? I know he's trying to make Mia feel better, but he does look bad," said Garet defensively.

"Well, and Garet's right too," said Isaac, groaning as he sat himself up. "I bet I do look like Hell." 

  
  


It took Isaac a while to calm Mia down, but eventually, she was okay again, though still very shaken. 

"I'm glad everything turned out all right, even if this lighthouse did scare each of us," she said, kissing him. 

  
  


Isaac felt a lot better after that kiss. It was as if that were a different type of Psynergy, one that did not require power. Behind her back, Garet stuck his finger down his throat, and made a gagging noise that Isaac and Mia could not hear. Solaris snickered silently.

  
  


"Me too," said Isaac, after he was free to talk again. "Well, let's Retreat."

  
  


************************

  
  


Well, Isaac's okay, and that's good. So, the first battle was okay, I hope . . . I mean, for being all psynergy. 

  
  


Now, review, or you may just get an icicle through the heart, complements of my Gecko. Heh . . . that oughta get you all to review, eh?


	6. Plans for Disaster

Yo! It's me, SirGecko, back with chapter 6: the revised version. Here, I made some more adjustments to everything, hopefully to make it a little less lame.

  
  


Now, this is a long chapter, over ten pages. So, you've got your fair share of reading time. 

  
  


I think that's it. Onto chapter 6! 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 6: Plans for Disaster

  
  


Back on board the ship, not much was done. Due to Isaac's near-death, he had slept almost 24 hours straight. He woke up for about five minutes, only to find a thick white bandage wrapped around his head. He then dropped off again, his exhaustion catching up to him. 

Mia rarely left Isaac's bedside except to eat. She did very little of that in itself. Her shock of both falling into the pit and nearly losing Isaac to Agatio's Rising Dragon was getting to her, but her responses were different from that of Isaac's. Sure, she was tired, but mostly, her devotion to her's and Isaac's relationship just increased.

  
  


However, Mia wasn't the only one who was worried about Isaac. Garet and Ivan also came to Isaac's cabin frequently, wishing him well, and asking Mia whether he had moved since they last saw him. Garet noticed that she responded and acted quite normally, though he didn't understand why she sat next to Isaac's bed watching him sleep all day.

  
  


"It's just pointless," he muttered to Ivan. "I thought she hated my snoring, but Isaac's will stir monsters in the Mars lighthouse all the way from here."

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic," said Ivan.

Mia heard Garet as well. "It's called devotion," she snapped.

"Call it what you want. I call it an obsession," retorted Garet. "What do you think he's gonna do? Wake up and fall overboard?"

  
  


Mia was so furious with Garet's insensitivity that she couldn't even think of a response to this. She was shaking her head hopelessly, and her face was getting red. Garet finally got a clue and decided it was best not to press the subject.

Ivan suddenly heard a loud groan. Isaac was awake, which was good. He had seen Mia reaching slowly for Garet's chair, probably to tamper with it.

  
  


"Isaac! Finally, you're awake!" said Garet, smiling. This completely distracted Mia, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ugh, I feel like crap," muttered Isaac, wincing as he tried to sit up. 

"You look like it too," said Garet. Mia and Ivan glared at him. Ivan then spoke up. 

"Well, are you feeling any better? Things have been really slow around here without your guidance," he said. "How's your head?"

"Fine," said Isaac. "I don't feel a thing there. It's just my whole body that hurts now." He then took off the bandages around his head. There apparently was no lump there anymore, but the red stain on his bandages told him that there had been one there.

"Well that's good," said Mia, sounding relieved. 

"What about our course? Monsters? Problems with the ship?" Isaac asked weakly.

"Relax Isaac, everything is okay," said Mia soothingly. "Solaris and Lunora have had sympathy on all of us. They taken over for now, and have managed things quite well."

"Okay. Just as long as someone knows what's going on." Isaac then changed the subject. "How long have I been asleep since the last time I woke up?"

"Just over a day," replied Mia.

  
  


Isaac whistled in slight surprise, and leaned back onto his pillows. He then turned over onto one side so he could better face his fellow Adepts. The result was immense pain all up and down his body. He winced, teeth gritted.

  
  


"Does that hurt?" asked Garet.

"No Garet, it's the best feeling I've ever had," snapped Isaac sarcastically. Mia giggled.

"Well, I suppose we'd better leave you in peace," said Ivan. "You need sleep."

"Yeah, don't sweat it," said Garet. "You'll be up and about in no time." With that, he got up, and walked out of Isaac's cabin. Ivan followed after him.

Now that everyone was gone and Isaac was awake, Mia lay down next to Isaac. She grinned at him and asked, "So, have you had any good dreams?"

  
  


Isaac thought for a minute. "Well, it wasn't necessarily a good dream, but there was this one I had while I was unconscious on top of the Jupiter Lighthouse . . ."

  
  


*******

  
  


"Well, that's that. We're due on course, and I've fixed all the problems with the ship."

  
  


Solaris's voice carried across the ship to Lunora, who was checking a map. She look disturbed as she scanned it. She was pointing to things and muttering. Then, she saw Solaris's shadow standing over her. He was curious in what she was doing.

  
  


"Is something the matter?" he asked concernedly.

"No," she replied distantly.

"Don't give me that," said Solaris seriously. "I know that there's something bothering you." 

Lunora decided to not hide it for any longer, for she would have to mention it sometime anyway. "Oh, alright. The weather patterns have changed for the worse. I can sense it."

"So?" asked Solaris. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes, it's a problem!" Lunora said, rather shrilly. "These new weather patterns are going to bring very fierce wind and snow to Tundaria. This combination means that it's going to be extremely cold on Tundaria, even worse than is normal. It's going to be deadly!"

"I see now," said Solaris slowly. "The weather is going to make it even more difficult for us to get to the Luna Lighthouse."

"It's going to be more than just difficult. It's going to be unbearable," said Lunora unhappily. 

"Well-" Solaris started, but he was interrupted by the door leading down to the cabins opening with a bang. Ivan came barreling through the doorway, and raced up to them, out of breath and looking anxious.

"G-guys," he wheezed. "We've got a problem. The weather in Tundaria-"

"You sensed it too?" asked Lunora sounding both impressed and depressed.

"We've got to tell Isaac," said Ivan. "He has to hold a meeting about this. About how we are going to proceed. I'll go tell him." He ran back to the door that led below-decks and disappeared through it, slamming the door behind him.

Lunora stared after him for a minute, then giggled slightly. "He's really cute," she said. "He never misses anything."

Solaris didn't respond. He knew that Ivan was 16 years old. He had heard Isaac talking about how it was a year later, and Ivan was 15 when he joined them. So, he wondered, what could possibly attract a beautiful 21 year-old woman such as Lunora to a 16-year old kid?

  
  


*******

  
  


"And so this huge, dark shadow comes barreling straight at me, scared the Holy Hell out of me!" 

  
  


Isaac was telling Mia about his dream with a wealth of detail. He was toying with Mia's long, shiny blue hair as he spoke. Mia listened intently, enjoying her hair being played with. 

  
  


Isaac continued, "So I dive to the floor, and the shadow barely misses me. Then-"

  
  


Isaac's cabin door burst open, startling both Isaac and Mia. Ivan rushed into the room, out of breath and looking anxious.

  
  


"Isaac, we've got to hold a meeting tonight at dinner," he gasped. "We have a problem with . . ." He stopped as he saw Isaac toying with Mia's hair. Hoping Isaac and Mia didn't notice his pause, he continued. "We have a problem with the weather patterns. They have changed for the worse, big time. None are going to affect our course, but the biggest one is settling itself right over Tundaria. Wind and snow are going to be very high, and we could well freeze to death."

Isaac went pale. So did Mia. "Uh . . . Ivan," said Isaac uncertainly, "how are we supposed to survive?"

"That's what I'd hoped we'd discuss at the meeting you should hold tonight. Lunora knows about it too. Hopefully, she'll know more about all this once dinner rolls around."

"Well, thanks Ivan, for letting me know," said Isaac in a worried tone.

"Yup," Ivan acknowledged. He hurried out of the room. 

"So," said Isaac, turning to Mia. "What do you want to do?"

"Why are you asking me?" she asked quizzically.

Isaac grinned and laid his hands on her hips. "You're the good cook on this ship, not me. So, whenever you feel like making dinner, I'll hold the meeting."

Mia grinned too. "Well, I'd like to hear about the rest of your dream first."

"Okay," said Isaac happily. So he continues. "So, the reaper shadow turns around and comes at me again, and I knew that this time, it wouldn't miss me . . ."

  
  


*******

  
  


Two hours later, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora were all seated around the tiny dining table, which was laden with a huge platter of sandwiches, plates, and silverware. After everyone was settled in, Isaac stood up.

  
  


"It's a good thing Mia made sandwiches," he started, smiling briefly at her, "for I have something very important to discuss with you all, and if she had made a hot dinner, it would be stone cold by-"

"Get to the damn point! I'm hungry!" snapped Garet.

"Darn straight, my good man," agreed Ivan.

"Alright, alright!" Isaac said irritably. He hated being rushed by Garet's stomach.

Isaac cleared his throat. "Ahem. It has been brought to my attention by Ivan," he nodded briefly at Ivan, "that some nasty weather awaits us on Tundaria. This weather is going to bring extremely cold weather. Wind and snow is going to make things unbearably cold, even deadly cold. So, what we need to figure out tonight is: how are we going to survive the trip to and from the lighthouse?"

Lunora stood up too. "I could waste time telling you why this is occurring, but that is not an option until we figure out how to survive."

"It won't be much colder, will it? Our armor should be able to handle it," Garet said.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," said Lunora gravely. "We're not talking about a 5-10 degree change. We're talking about a 30-50 degree change, and the temperature there is already a few degrees below freezing, and that's during the summer."

  
  


Everyone sat, pondering this latest bit of news. It sounded like things were not going to be easy. Then, Ivan remembered something.

  
  


"When me and Garet were organizing Solaris's and Lunora's cabin, I noticed that there were some heavy blankets in a corner. Do you remember what I'm talking about?" he asked Solaris.

  
  


"Now that I think about it, I do remember," said Solaris. "But, I also noticed that there were only enough blankets for five of us. One of us will have to go without, or have to share."

"I can go without," said Mia. "Since I'm a Mercury Adept, I will be able to withstand the cold better than anyone else."

  
  


Isaac looked reluctant about this, but he didn't say anything.

  
  


"Okay then," said Lunora, sounding businesslike. "We've got that done and out of the way. Since those blankets are pretty thick, we needn't worry about freezing to death. But, that does not mean frostbite is still an issue. This means that you have to be extra-careful about your face."

  
  


"How, though?" asked Garet. "We have blankets to cover our bodies, gloves to cover our hands, and thick boots to protect our feet. How are we supposed to protect our face?"

"How indeed?" muttered Isaac to himself. 

"Maybe . . ." started Solaris, "since those blankets are fairly large, we could cut holes in them for the eyes, nose, mouth, and arms. Even if we drape them over our heads, there should still be enough room left to cover our legs."

"That is a good idea," said Isaac slowly. 

"Yeah, but-"

"Shut it, Ivan. If you have a better plan, I'd love to hear it," said Isaac. When Ivan remained silent for a moment, Isaac cleared his throat and continued, "Well, I think we've got everything all worked out. Meeting adjourned. Now, let's all dig into some of these delicious sandwiches!"

  
  


*******

  
  


The next day on board the ship passed without much event, unless you count Garet falling overboard. Even though not many people were pleased, they found it all extremely funny. Especially Solaris, who laughed so hard, he couldn't stand up.

Garet had pigged out as usual at dinner the previous night, the night which Isaac held the meeting. He scarfed down the top three sandwiches on the platter in 15 minutes. Usually, Garet had a cast-iron stomach, considering how much and how fast he ate. But, there was something about these sandwiches that affected him and only him.

  
  


Garet felt a little woozy the morning of the day he fell overboard, so he went to see Mia. Seeing as how she was still a little bad-tempered with him from yesterday in Isaac's room, she didn't cure his queasiness, and instead suggested that he should go up onto the deck to get some fresh air.

  
  


Well, normally this would have worked, but for poor Garet, it just made things a helluva lot worse. His queasiness escalated into dizziness, and finally, delusion. He walked to the edge of the ship, and began to hurl.

  
  


Since, to the rest of the group, this was a disgusting bodily function, everyone averted their eves from Garet, and tried to block the retching sounds. But, about after a minute, everyone heard a loud splash.

  
  


At the time, everyone thought that it was just a fish jumping and splashing back into the water. The group didn't hear anyone gagging anymore, so they looked back to see if Garet was alright, and discovered that Garet wasn't there.

  
  


Isaac heard the splashing off the side of the ship, and the gurgling yells, and the realization dawned on him. His best, and clumsy, friend Garet had fallen overboard!

  
  


He stood there for a split second. 'Dammit! I guess I'm gonna have to help him out.' he thought sourly. By this time everyone was laughing loudly. Isaac wasn't though, because he knew what he needed to do. With a deep breath, he jumped headfirst off the ship.

  
  


"Isaac!" yelled Mia. She wiped her eyes, which were blurred with tears of laughter.

  
  


Isaac did not hear her. He was already swimming towards Garet, who was flailing around a good 20 feet from the ship.

  
  


Mia ran towards the aft part of the ship, where Isaac's Djinn had left the rope ladder a couple of days ago. She grabbed it of the deck and ran back to where Isaac had jumped ship. She saw that Isaac was already helping Garet swim back. Mia lowered the ladder over the side of the ship, and then she waited. 

  
  


After a couple of minutes, she saw a tug on the ladder. She peered over the side and saw Garet climbing up the ladder. About a minute later, his head popped over the top of the railing. He climbed over the rails, and collapsed on the deck, soaking and exhausted.

  
  


Then Isaac climbed over the side of the ship, not exhausted but still soaking wet. Water was dripping from his now sodden hair. After he climbed over the ship, he stared, looking at Garet, hands on his hips. Garet stood up slowly at the look that Isaac was giving him. It was half-annoyance, half-exasperation.

  
  


"Well, I hope you're happy, dammit," he snapped. "That's what you get for pigging out last night. Hopefully this will be one of the few lessons that will sink into your abnormally thick skull." After he said all this, his expression softened. "You're okay, right?" Garet nodded.

Isaac smiled. "That's good. Now go and get yourself dried off before you catch a cold."

  
  


*******

  
  


After Garet was dried off, which took a considerably long time, Solaris and Lunora announced that they would arrive in Tundaria in approximately two hours. The rest of the group had already guessed this, as it was getting remarkably cold already. 

  
  


Isaac then announced over lunch that they should all start getting ready for the two most dangerous things the would encounter: the cold, and monsters. After lunch, all went into their respective cabins.

  
  


Isaac was bustling around his cabin, getting ready to go. His armor and Gaia Blade lay on his bed, gleaming because of their recent shining. He was now putting potions, food, and spare gloves into his backpack. All of a sudden, he heard a knock on his door.

  
  


"Come in," said Isaac. 

The door opened and Solaris stepped into the room. "Sorry to bother you, Isaac."

"No problem," said Isaac briskly. "So, what's up?"

"Oh! Uh . . . here's your blanket," said Solaris. He handed Isaac a large, heavy brown blanket. "We didn't cut holes in it, since we didn't know how big your face is," said Solaris, grinning. Isaac grinned back.

"Thanks, Solaris," said Isaac. "I'll take care of that." 

  
  


Solaris nodded and went out the door, shutting it behind him.

  
  


Isaac then set about making a 'face mask' in his blanket. It took a long time, because he was extra-careful not to rip the blanket to shreds in the process of cutting out the holes with his Gaia Blade. Once he finally had it done, he tried it on. 

  
  


Everything fit perfectly. After about a minute, it became blistering hot under the blanket. This pretty well convinced Isaac that it would have to be really damn cold if he felt chilly under this blanket.

  
  


Isaac then noticed a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. It took him awhile to realize what it was. Then, after a few minutes of thought, he did.

  
  


Mia had said that she would go without a blanket because she was a Mercury Adept, and could withstand the cold better. Isaac knew that what she had said was true. But, he didn't, and never had, trusted the weather for any reason. Making up his mind, he left his cabin.

  
  


******* 

  
  


Crystal rod? Check.

Potions and herbs? Check.

Backpack and necessities? Check.

Mia looked around her cabin, making sure she had everything she needed for the hike to the Luna Lighthouse. She was just gathering everything up when she heard a knock on the door.

  
  


"Come in," she said.

  
  


The door opened with a slight creak, and Isaac stepped into her room. 

  
  


"Hi, Isaac," said Mia, smiling. Isaac smiled back. 

"Could you do me a favor?" he asked. 

"Sure," said Mia, putting down the potion bottle he was holding.

  
  


Isaac drew out the blanket he had received. At this, an utterly confused expression spread itself over Mia's face. Isaac threw the blanket over her head.

  
  


"I'm going to feel where your eves, nose, and mouth are, so I can cut out holes in the blanket for you," he said simply. Mia nodded.

  
  


He positioned the blanket so that his face settings were directly behind where he was going to make Mia's face settings. He found her eyes and nose soon enough. Mia gave him a small kiss through the blanket as his hand found her mouth. Isaac smiled to himself. Remembering where all these things were, he took the blanket off. Some of Mia's sleek blue hair clung to the blanket as it was pulled off, and it make a crackling sound.

  
  


"Well, that's that," he said. He drew out his Gaia blade.

  
  


It was tough work cutting holes in a thick blanket with a long sword like the Gaia Blade. But after awhile, the work was finally finished. 

  
  


"Okay, try it on," said Isaac. Mia took the blanket from him and threw it over her head. She found her face settings, and positioned them correctly. It was a perfect fit. "Ha!" said Isaac happily as he pulled the blanket off Mia's head again. "I'm getting quite good at this."

"Isaac, you didn't have to-"

"Yes I damn well did," said Isaac firmly. "I almost lost you once, and I'm certainly not going to let that happen again."

  
  


Mia gave Isaac a glowing look, and then put her arms around him. Isaac looked quite surprised at this, but decided to go along with the flow. The blanket dropped from his left hand as he put it behind Mia's head, while he put the other on her back. Needless to say, it was quite the hug.

  
  


They stood there for quite some time, not moving. After another few long, enjoyable minutes, they heard a bell sound.

  
  


"All couples on deck!" bellowed Garet. Shouts of laughter could be heard from above soon after that. 

  
  


Isaac and Mia quickly broke apart, blushing furiously, even though there was no one in the room. Isaac looked up at the ceiling with a furious and embarrassed expression on his face. 

  
  


"Damn him!" shouted Isaac suddenly. "He never quits, even under a serious situation like this!"

"Maybe I should poison dinner again," said Mia slyly.

"What?!"

"He was being a jerk just before you woke up from your long sleep, so I decided to get back at him. So, what better way than through his gluttonous tendencies? Anyway, I knew that Garet would be the first one to take sandwiches from the platter. So, I made sure the ones I poisoned were on top!"

"You clever girl," said Isaac playfully, kissing her on the nose. Then, his expression suddenly hardened. "Please wait here. I have a score to even up with Garet."

  
  


Isaac walked as calmly as he could out of his cabin. He was embarrassed and rather annoyed. It was true that he and Mia were together, but Garet didn't need to proclaim it in such a fashion. Soon, he emerged on deck, and walked over to where Garet was, oblivious to everyone else watching him.

  
  


"Hello, Garet," said Isaac, in a falsely cheerful voice.

"H-hey, Isaac," said Garet nervously. Isaac continued to wear that fake smile. "What?" asked Garet.

"Well, you seem to be enjoying having fun at my expense," said Isaac. His smile disappeared instantly, and then he grabbed a fistful of Garet's outer wear. "Now, do you have any last words before I kill you?"

"Heh-heh . . . uh . . ."

"Let's get one thing straight," said Isaac. "If you ever say anything like that again, I will Odyssey you so hard that you will land through the roof of your house back in Vale. Now, is that in any way unclear?"

"Not at all," said Garet, both seriously and nervously. "It's crystal clear."

"Good," said Isaac, releasing his grip slightly on Garet. After a minute of glaring at him, he started to cool off. He couldn't be pissed off at his childhood friend for long, no matter what pranks or jokes he pulled. 

  
  


After he started to feel less furious, he released his grip entirely on Garet, and looked around. He started to notice the cold in the air, and the wind starting to blow. He turned to Lunora.

  
  


"Where are we?" he asked her.

"We're just coming up on Tundaria," she said, looking slightly wary of him. 

"Isaac, you might want to go get Mia, because we need to talk about the path we're gonna take to get to the Luna lighthouse, once we hit land."

  
  


Isaac nodded and disappeared down the stairs. Lunora stared after him.

  
  


"What's the matter, Lunora?" asked Ivan, noticing the expression of unease on her face. 

"Well, Isaac's behavior surprised me, sort of," she said slowly. "I thought he was an even, mild-mannered type of person."

"Oh, don't worry about him," cut in Garet. "When he gets like that, he's only angry until he says why, and gets his point across. He's just fine now." Then, he shuddered slightly. "However, when he said he'd Odyssey me, he meant it. Anyway, he's just fine."

"Oh, okay then," said Lunora, sounding happier.

"Dang, it's getting really cold out here now," said Ivan.

"And no wonder," remarked Solaris. "I see Tundaria." 

  
  


Just then, the door opened, and Isaac and Mia came up on deck, with their blankets and other necessities tucked under their arms. 

"Now that we are all here," called Solaris, "we can cast our attention on Tundaria, off in the distance there."

  
  


Solaris waved his hand off to the left of himself. The rest of the group saw a massive, snow-white continent off in the distance. And, judging by the streaks they saw in the sky above Tundaria, and the dark gray they saw that it was getting a humongous blizzard.

  
  


"The air will get colder and colder as we reach Tundaria. Anyway, I wanted, or rather, Lunora wanted to explain to you the route that we will take to get to the Luna Lighthouse," explained Solaris. 

  
  


"I was born here," started Lunora. "I know the terrain here like you know your ship. Therefore, this is the best route I know of to take."

  
  


She drew out a large, folded map of Tundaria. They noticed that it was a very long continent. There seemed to be no signs of life on it except for a symbol for a tower that the northernmost peninsula of Tundaria.

  
  


"This is the most modern map of Tundaria I possess, explained Lunora. "Due to concealment after the War of the Adepts, this map does not have the Luna Lighthouse or my hometown indicated on it, so I'll have to draw them," she said with some bitterness in her voice.

  
  


She took out a quill, and drew where her town and the lighthouse were. Her hometown was nestled against the south side and the western portion of the mountain range that they were going to have to cross somehow. The lighthouse was right next to the edge of Gaia Falls.

"As you can see, the lighthouse is very close to the edge," said Lunora. "Very lucky it isn't fifty feet further south. The rest of the group nodded silently.

  
  


"Now, this is the path we'll take," said Lunora.

  
  


She took the quill and drew a line through the map. It went south into the mountains. Then, on the other side, it turned West and headed into her hometown. From there, it forked south-southeast and to the Luna Lighthouse. Lunora blew slightly on the map; snow was starting to fall on it.

  
  


"I should describe our path in more detail . . .erm, how do I explain this . . .okay. From where we land, we'll travel southeast to the cave in the mountains. There, we can get some rest and build a fire for the duration of our stay. Once we're ready to proceed from there, we'll head west along the base of the mountain range until we come to my hometown, Tundris. There, we can restock any lost or left behind possessions and equipment. From there, we rest until nightfall. Finally, we proceed to the Luna Lighthouse."

"That sounds quite easy," said Mia. 

"It does, doesn't it?" said Lunora, smiling faintly. The route we take makes it easy for us to get to the Luna Lighthouse. However, the weather is not going to make it easy for us to get there."

"W-what if t-t-the c-cave is c-covered b-by snow?" shivered Garet. Being a Mars Adept, he was the first to notice the power and effects of the extreme cold. Isaac murmured words of agreement. 

"I though of that too," said Solaris. "If Lunora agrees, we can take the mountain pass just east of the cave if the cave itself is blocked."

"If it comes to that . . .we'll have to take that pass . . .yes," replied Lunora.

"Well, if that is all, we had better check for any stuff we left behind," said Isaac. "It's getting rather c-cold."

  
  


Everyone agreed with this pronouncement, especially Garet. He practically flew downstairs to his cabin to get his two most important items: his blanket, and his food.

  
  


***************************

  
  


Yep, you can't forget that, can you? 

  
  


Okay, that's it for now. Review, or you'll need plastic surgery.


	7. Confessions

Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum! . . . What? Oh, yes, It's me, SirGecko again with the lucky 7th chapter. Oh, yes . . . I know that all of you are going to like this one. Yes I do.

  
  


I want to thank the reviewers who sent me reviews for chapter 6, and the ones before. Your motivation is what made me update. It was enough, but I need more. So, please review . . .

  
  


Yes, yes, I know, dammit. I gotta do that stupid disclaimer. Okay, here goes. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, Saturos, Menardi, Karst, Agatio, and Alex would not have died. I think they're cool.

  
  


Okay, I think that's pretty much everything of importance. Onto chapter 7!

  
  
  
  


Chapter 7: Confessions

  
  


Everyone emerged on deck a few moments later, blankets in their arms (Garet had his over his head). Isaac took the Black Orb and guided the ship as safely as he could onto the beach in front of them. 

  
  


The ship was literally listing to one side from the force of the wind. The sails could be head snapping through the air as the wind smashed against them, with a force so great that it could . . . well, list a Lemurian ship.

  
  


Mia lowered the rope ladder, and everyone descended onto the frozen, snow-covered earth of Tundaria. The snow had to be at least a foot deep. Everyone who had not had blankets over their heads on board the ship now threw them on. The blankets warmed them up well, but nobody got their hopes up. They knew that their trek to the Luna Lighthouse was just beginning.

As soon as the blankets were over their heads, the weather seemed to get angrier. The wind, which had already been rather strong, started to howl, nipping at the exposed bits of flesh of Isaac's group. To make matters worse, the snow started to blow everywhere, reducing visibility and making everything that much colder.

  
  


"From here, we continue southeast!" shouted Lunora. "We'll come up on some mountains in awhile. We'll stop for a minute once we come up to the base of them!"

  
  


She waved at the direction of the mountains through the armhole of her blanket, which was gray. And with that, they all set off, Lunora in the lead.

  
  


It was slow work. The wind and snow blowing in their face hampered their progress. After just a few minutes, their noses were freezing, their lips were chapped, and their eyes were dry.

  
  


"Dammit! I hate this!" shouted Garet. No one heard him; the wind was howling too loudly. 

  
  


Even though it was only midday, the sky was nearly black as though night had already laid its black blanket over the world. As they all trudged slowly further south, the snow fell harder and faster, relentless sheets of freezing air and snow blowing in their face.

  
  


Isaac glanced over at Mia to see how she was doing without a blanket. Red streaks ran down from her lips, and Isaac began to feel blood dribbling down his chin as well. Her face also looked numb from the cold. Isaac decided to go without for awhile.

  
  


"Mia!" he roared over the wind. She nodded her head to show that she was listening. "Take the blanket!" he yelled, ripping it off his head after he freed his arms and tossing it to Mia. She grabbed it gratefully and threw it over her head. 

  
  


"Monsters ahead!" Solaris's faint voice shouted. 

  
  


Isaac squinted as best he could with his dry eyes, and indeed there were monsters. Five fierce polar-bear looking beasts, galloping towards them, snarling. The only way Isaac spotted them was through their evil red eyes glinting in the little light available.

  
  


"I'll handle this!" shouted Garet, charging forward. He met the monsters head-on, swinging his Giant Axe. He managed to slice two of the polar bears' heads off. They rolled away across the snow, leaving a streak of blood behind them. 

  
  


One of the polar bears then attacked. Garet dodged. The second used a Poison Fang. Garet got a nasty bite on his left arm, but not enough poison was but into his bloodstream to have any effect on him. The third bear just defended itself.

  
  


Garet had a sudden Idea. "Pyroclasm!" he roared. Four flows of volcanic lava erupted underneath the polar bears. Not only did this destroy the remaining bears, but the heat from the lava warmed up the air around them. The ground in the area melted, the group was warmed up, and all snow within the area turned to rain.

  
  


"Good idea, Garet," said Solaris, coming up to him and thumping him on the back. 

  
  


Mia came up to him next and healed his bite.

  
  


"Well, now that's taken care of, we must proceed! We'll be coming up on the base of the mountains here shortly!" shouted Lunora, her silvery hair like a shaking horizontal fan in the wind.

  
  


Now that Garet's Pyroclasm was over, it was snowing again, and the wide holes in the ground where the origin of the fire was had started to become white already. The air around them was once again colder than ever. But they pressed on. Isaac was starting to feel the effects of not having a blanket. But, he didn't feel like he needed it yet. The snow was so bad now that they could barely see 10 feet in front of themselves.

  
  


"Good news! We've finally reached the base of the mountains!" shouted Lunora, sounding happier than she had been for hours. 

  
  


Everyone cheered. They knew that they were at the base of the mountains too, not because they could see them coming, but because the wind died down significantly and the snow didn't blow as much. 

  
  


"Well, we know that the storm is originating from the south," said Solaris.

"Luna is angry," muttered Lunora so that no one but herself could hear. "Maybe someone in Tundris knows why . . . If I were still there, I probably would know by now . . ."

  
  


Now that the weather was a good deal calmer, everyone took this opportunity to sit down on the snowy ground to rest.

  
  


However, just because the mountains shielded them somewhat from the wind and snow, it did not shelter them from the cold. So, in order to help solve this problem a little, Garet lit a blaze in his hands so that everyone could warm up for a bit before they set off again. It was much appreciated, and it gave everyone more strength. But eventually, it was time to go.

  
  


"The cave is only a few minutes away from here," said Lunora, still sounding happy.

  
  


They followed the mountain range West for about 10 minutes, and then saw a small hole in the base of them about two feet wide.

  
  


"This is it," said Lunora. "It hasn't been covered entirely by the snow yet. I think we can squeeze in." 

  
  


She went in first, followed by Ivan. Then, Isaac and Mia went inside, and lastly Garet and Solaris.

  
  


Isaac noticed that it was slightly warmer inside the cave, but very dark. What he liked most about it though was that it prevented any snow from blowing in his face and any wind from howling in his ears anymore. 

  
  


Garet, noticing the problem of not being able to see anything, cupped his pam, and a spurt of fire arose, its light flickering about the now-visible walls of the cave.

  
  


"That's better," said Garet. "I can keep this going for a while, but it would help if we hurried. I wand to be ft for the battle at the top of the lighthouse."

"Good idea," said Solaris. 

Lunora, meanwhile was looking around. "This is where we'll stay for awhile," she said. "This is as good a place as any."

"I'm starving!" said Garet loudly. "Who wants food?"

  
  


Everyone raised their hands.

  
  


"Okay!" said Garet, sounding happy at the fact that he wasn't the only one who was hungry. "Here's some chicken . . . oh, dammit. It's frozen!" he said, sounding thoroughly disappointed.

"Well, I guess you'll have to start a fire," said Solaris.

"Garet's not going to have enough energy to keep it going for the whole stay here," said Isaac. "I'll go look for some wood." 

"I'll come with," said Mia, taking off their blanket. Snow scattered all over. "If there are monsters out there, you'll need someone to fight them besides yourself."

"Okay, then!" said Isaac, with a loud, cheery farewell, they set off together down a dark passage.

"Wait!" shouted Lunora. She came running up to them, holding a piece of parchment. "You'll need this. It's a map I drew a long time ago of the passages in the cave. You won't want to get lost in here. You'll never come out."

"Thanks, Lunora," said Mia, taking the map from her.

"I've marked where we are on the map," said Lunora. It's best if you mark the trail that you take, just as an extra precaution."

"Okay, will do," said Isaac. "Thanks for the advice."

"Not a problem," said Lunora, hurrying away.

  
  


Mia studied the map that Lunora had given them. "I see what she means when she says that you won't come out again if you don't have a map," she said. "Look."

Isaac glanced at the map, and saw that she was quite right. The trails wound, looped, climbed, and twisted all over the place. Thankfully, he noticed, the one they were taking was relatively straight-forward. 

  
  


They walked along their selected path for 10 minutes without saying anything. Then, something odd suddenly struck him.

  
  


"Mia? Could you help me figure something out?" said Isaac, taking the map from Mia.

"Sure," said Mia, smiling at him.

"Why the Hell are we going to look for wood in a cave?"

"I heard Lunora talking to Ivan about how there were some tree monsters in here," Mia replied slowly. "Maybe we have to kill a couple of them."

"Heh, no sweat," said Isaac confidently.

  
  


Mia smiled at him and took his hand into hers. It felt so warm and soft, despite the cold they had just gone through. In her other hand, she clutched her Crystal Rod, and in Isaac's free hand held the map.

  
  


"So, are you starting to warm up?" asked Isaac.

She grinned, and withdrew her hand from Isaac's. She instead put it around his waist. "That's better," she said happily.

*******

  
  


Garet was pacing around the floor. He and Ivan had just spent the last five minutes collecting rocks, and placing them in a circular pattern, for the rim of the campfire. He was now waiting for Isaac's and Mia's return with the wood. It had been 15 minutes since they left. With each pace, he became grumpier and grumpier as he got hungrier and hungrier.

  
  


"Gaah!" he shouted in frustration.

"Calm down, man!" said Solaris, looking slightly surprised. "We made good time when we traveled. They have plenty of time to look!"

"Yeah, they do," grumbled Garet. "But I'm starving!"

"You're way too impatient," said Solaris, shaking his head.

"Yeah, well, I'm not the only one who's hungry! Who knows what Isaac and Mia are using all that extra time for? Probably-"

"Garet, they'll be back soon," said Solaris, intentionally cutting him off. "Now stop pacing, before you slip, fall, and crack your head open on your drool." Both Garet and Solaris laughed at this.

  
  


Meanwhile, Ivan and Lunora were passing the time by playing 20 questions. Ivan was Guessing what Lunora was thinking, and he wasn't doing too well.

  
  


"Is it alive?" asked Ivan after a minute.

"Yes," said Lunora. "You have two questions left.

"Uh . . .is it in the cave?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," she said.

"Man! How am I gonna guess it with only one question left?" said Ivan grumpily. Lunora giggled.

  
  


Ivan had a sudden idea. He focused his palm at Lunora, the actions of a Mind Read. This is what he read:

  
  


'Hee hee . . .nice try Ivan. You can't pull that one on me!'

  
  


Ivan stopped, disappointed, and looked over at Lunora. She was grinning in a triumphant sort of way.

  
  


"Oh, dammit. I give up. What is it?" he asked.

"You!" said Lunora, still grinning.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac and Mia had made very little progress in their search for wood. They did find one tree-monster, but it happened to be a coward, and it ran away as soon as it saw Isaac and Mia approach. But it wasn't as though Isaac and Mia were busy. Plenty of other monsters challenged them, only to be defeated soundly.

  
  


"Stupid monsters," Isaac grumbled. "Just when we want to meet a specific one, it doesn't come. Just our luck."

"And it's about to get worse, I think," said Mia, sounding scared.

"How could it possibly get any . . .oh, Venus!"

  
  


For there stood in front of them . . .a tree-monster. A tree-monster as tall as the tallest trees in Mogall Forest . . .and boy did it look pissed.

  
  


"We're gonna have to get clever here," said Mia. "So, since it's resistant to your Psynergy, we should switch roles. I'll attack, and you heal.

"Agreed," said Isaac. The tree-monster gave a roar, and Isaac and Mia prepared for battle.

  
  


However, they soon found out that the tree-monster wasn't as tough as it looked. It had a mean swipe though, and a ton of health.

  
  


"Man, if only Garet was here," said Isaac though clenched teeth. The stinging from the numerous cuts on his arms was becoming almost unbearable. "He'd burn the crap out of this thing, and we would have been done five min- ahhh!" he screamed, as the tree-monster's branches, sharp as knives, cut into his arm again. He cast Potent Cure on himself, and the cuts were healed completely.

  
  


"Are you doing okay?" he asked Mia, looking over to see if she needed healing. However, he paid dearly for this lapse in concentration. With one mighty swipe, the tree-monster into the cave wall. His head smacked against the wall. He slumped to the floor and knew no more.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac opened his eyes, his vision bleary. He soon noticed that he had a major headache, and he had a lump on the back of his head that was slowly swelling to the size of the Mars Star.

He then saw Mia kneeling over him, looking very concerned. "Oh good, you're awake!" she said, putting her arms around him.

  
  


"Where's the tree-monster?" asked Isaac, his head now throbbing.

"I finished it off just after you got knocked out," said Mia. Then she brightened a little. "Hey, at least I know you don't have amnesia!"

Isaac chuckled slightly and then frowned. "Dammit, how come I'm always the one that gets knocked out?"

Mia laughed into his ear, and then opted a change of subject. "On a lighter note, look at all the wood we've got for dinner!"

  
  


Isaac looked over at where the giant tree-monster once stood. Now, it looked like a wooden boulder that had just gotten there. It had ice shards hanging from its leaves. 

  
  


"You know, I don't think we need that much wood," said Isaac.

"You're right," agreed Mia. "It'd be a pain to carry back.

"We'll just cut off its foot, then," said Isaac, starting to snicker.

  
  


Mia giggled too. Her arms were still around Isaac.

  
  


"Well, I think we'd better get going," said Isaac. Mia released her grip on his waist. "Sorry, but we'd better hurry. Garet's probably going nuts right now."

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac was quite right. Garet was going nuts. He paced back and forth, still drooling slightly at the prospect of chicken. 

  
  


'If its ever going to come,' he thought irritably. Just what the Hell was taking Isaac and Mia so long?

  
  


Just then, when Garet was starting to get extremely annoyed, he heard footsteps approaching. He looked over and saw that Isaac and Mia were coming down the passageway. They had enough wood in their arms to supply the fire for two nights.

  
  


"About bloody time!" snapped Garet as they approached. They glared at him.

"Ah, they're back!" said Ivan gratefully. He and Lunora stood up.

"It's a good thing you're back," chuckled Solaris. "Garet was mumbling nonstop for at least 10 minutes.

"Hey!" shouted Garet indignantly. "You can't prove anything!"

"Yes, I can," said Ivan, putting his palm down.

Garet looked livid. His hand had ignited. "Damn you Ivan, if you read my mind one more time-"

"Garet, settle down," scolded Mia. 

"Yeah man, save your energy for the fire," said Solaris.

  
  


Isaac and Mia dropped the wood onto the floor with a loud clatter. Isaac then threw some of the wood into the circle of rocks. Garet made to light with his hand, but he was a little overenthusiastic. He burned it to nothingness in less than a second. Isaac shook his head, and threw some more wood into the circle. This time, Garet flicked his wrist slightly, and the logs erupted in flames.

  
  


Ivan pulled a pan from his pack and set it above the logs on some propped-up rocks. Garet took out the very slightly thawed chicken and threw it into the pan. It made a very loud sizzling sound. Because the fire was "Garet Enhanced", the chicken was done in only a few minutes.

  
  


It wasn't as good as everyone had hoped, but it was food. Garet apparently hadn't taken Isaac's advice, and was wolfing down his chicken as though it would be his last meal.

  
  


"Lunora, I was just thinking," said Mia, "that you haven't told us much about your past. Would you mind giving us a little dinner conversation?"

"Sure, why not?" said Lunora, putting down her chicken leg. "Well, like I said before, Tundris is my hometown. I soon became-"

"How old are you?" cut in Garet.

"Let her talk," said Isaac dismissively. 

"No, it's okay," said Lunora. "I'm 21 years old, Garet. Anyway, at a young age, I soon became very interested in the lighthouse south of town. The townspeople and my parents soon learned that I was also quite skilled in wielding the powers of the moon. So, the council, influenced by my parents, appointed me to be the Guardian of the lighthouse. I was only 11.

"I accepted this job with pride. It was my dream at the time, to use my power for something other than practice. To serve the goddess Luna by protecting the sole structure that represented her. I was highly respected by all the townspeople. 

"Eventually, after a few years, I became quite bored with my position. I had so much power, more than some of the eldest council members, and I wasn't using them for anything. Sure, I guarded the lighthouse with them, but I never actually used them.

"I started voicing my opinion to some of my best friends, a group of girls who had a level of power similar to mine, though I had the most. We were young and foolish back then. Anything to please only ourselves . . .and we always had to be right . . .

"Eventually, after a couple more years, I became quite frustrated. I started writing about my frustration in a journal that I always kept, rather than just voicing how I felt. One day, when my parents were in my room to see where I had gone, they noticed my journal lying open on my desk. My parents were strict and especially nosy, so, they looked at my latest entry, which unfortunately for me, vented my feelings about everything quite clearly. They saw my thoughts about the position of Guardian of the Luna Lighthouse. I was out with my boyfriend partying. He was a Mercury Adept named Alex-"

"What?!" yelled Garet. "Alex?"

"You mean, the Alex that we met on top of the Jupiter Lighthouse?" asked Mia.

"Hm, no wonder he looked familiar," said Lunora vaguely. "Anyway, when I came home from the party with Alex, my parents confronted me on the issue of the Luna Lighthouse. They were furious with me. And I was with them. I said that they should never have been looking in my journal in the first place, while they maintained fully that it didn't matter whether they did or not, and that I had disgraced and shamed the town. I said that they were the only ones disgraced, and told them that they weren't the only people in this town. I then called them some extremely nasty names, and barricaded myself in my room.

"They were so angry after this, that they dismissed me from my position as Guardian of the Luna Lighthouse. I didn't mind this. In fact, if anything, I was glad. What I didn't like were the sneering faces that some of the townspeople gave me. I only had my closest friends, Alex, and a few people who were convinced of my side of the story to look to for a friendly face. Then, my parents did something that changed my life forever."

"What was that?' asked Ivan. He didn't think the answer was going to be good.

"They went behind my back and convinced the council to banish me from Tundris altogether," said Lunora acidly.

"What?! Oh, that's terrible! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Mia.

"Don't apologize Mia, I really don't need your pity," said Lunora, smiling slightly at her. "I'm okay with it now. But back then, I was devastated. So were my friends, and especially Alex. Some of the townspeople who didn't think that decision was fair tried to fight back, but my parents and the council had too much power. They kept their decision to remove me.

"So, facing the worst, I finally decided to search for another place to live. Most people rejected my letters after hearing why I was asking them. Alex, by this time, couldn't stand watching me search in vain for a new place to live. He left town for good. This made things a whole lot worse for me, and I hated him for not staying by my side while I was in trouble."

"Why didn't he offer for you to go with him?" asked Isaac. He was leaned over from his position on the floor, the better to hear. 

"Well . . . because he was too overcome with grief . . . but that still doesn't excuse his leaving me," she said in a flat, expressionless voice. 

"Oh of course," said Isaac. "We knew that."

"But mainly, I think the reason was that when he left, he had go idea where he was going to go either. Last I heard, I mean, before we met on top of Jupiter Lighthouse, he went to Imil," added Lunora.

"You're right," said Mia. "He, like me, was assigned to protect the Mercury Lighthouse."

"Oh, I see," said Lunora. "Anyway, after Alex left, I finally found a home in Prox, where I met Solaris. We've been good friends ever since.

"And that's basically my life story," she finished.

"Have you heard from your parents since you left?" asked Garet.

"No I haven't, and even if I did, I wouldn't give a damn about anything they said," said Lunora acidly.

"Oh, I see. So, after you left . . . Mia, is something the matter?" asked Isaac. 

"Wha . . . oh! No, nothing," said Mia faintly, jerking out of a stupor.

"Yes, there was something-"

"Shouldn't we get a little rest before we continue on to Tundris?" said Mia, cutting Isaac off. This convinced Isaac that she was indeed hiding something.

"Yes, good idea, Mia," said Solaris. "It's time for a little shuteye. Since we made good time getting to the cave, we have a couple of hours before we have to go. Sleep now, because I don't think we'll have time until we get back to the ship."

  
  


And so, everyone set about, getting ready for bed. Ivan, Solaris, and Lunora slept on one side of the cavern, and Isaac, Garet, and Mia slept on the other side. Garet soon fell asleep, the sound of his snores reverberating around the stone walls of the cavern. Ivan, Solaris, and Lunora managed to fall asleep, but Isaac and Mia stayed awake, Isaac because he was wondering what Mia was hiding, and Mia because she couldn't block out Garet's snores. Isaac saw that Mia was awake, and he decided to try again.

  
  


"Mia, please tell me what's the matter," said Isaac.

"I don't want to tell you," said Mia quietly. "You won't like what I say."

"I won't mind, I swear," said Isaac, scooting closer and putting his arms around her.

"You swear? You absolutely swear?' asked Mia seriously.

"Absolutely," said Isaac in his sincerest voice.

"Okay, I'll tell you," said Mia uncertainly. Several minutes passed before she spoke again. 

"I was . . . once . . . in love with . . . Alex."

"W-what?!" 

  
  


*********************

  
  


Now that's a cliffhanger if I ever saw one. 

  
  


Ooh, bad call for Mia . . . she's got some explaining to do. I wonder how Isaac's gonna take it in the next chapter . . . oh, we'll just have to wait and see. ^_^. 

  
  


I know that you'll probably want chapter 8 soon. So if that be the case, Review! If not, don't be surprised to see little geckos on your bedcovers carrying little flamethrowers. Just kidding . . . but you will hear from them if you don't review. 


	8. Sol and the Flashback

Um . . . Yes, it's me again . . . SirGecko. Yeah, I'm here. I, naturally, have the eighth chapter to upload, so here it is. I hope you like it. 

  
  


I again want to thank the reviewers who have, and hopefully will, review this story. Your support/constructive criticism is appreciated. 

  
  


This one is a lengthy one folks . . . very. My second-longest chapter, and 16 2/3 pages on my computer. So, you're in for quite the read.

  
  


Now, for that annoying, retarded, pointless, overrated, required, and utterly stupid disclaimer. Here it is. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, this would be a movie, and I'd be sittin' in a recliner dissing all the teachers I hate.

  
  


Okay, enough of my stupid fantasizing. Onto chapter 8! 

  
  


  
  


Chapter 8: Sol and the Flashback

  
  


"You were once in love with . . . with Alex?!" Isaac exclaimed. He felt like he'd been hit in the face by a particularly harsh and cold blast of freezing air from outside. He had withdrawn his arms from around Mia's waist in surprise.

"See? I knew you wouldn't like it if I told you! I knew it!" Mia said shrilly, her voice cracking.

"Hold on Mia. I didn't say I didn't like it. I am merely . . . surprised, that's all," said Isaac firmly. 

Mia looked over at him, silent tears streaking down her soft, pretty face, her body rocking occasionally as she suppressed the wave of loud, noisy sobs that were threatening to spill out of her. She looked skeptical.

  
  


"Believe me, Mia," said Isaac forcefully. "It's okay to tell me. I don't care if you were in love with Alex or not. It doesn't matter. I love you as you are now."

  
  


Mia continued to stare at him for a minute. But after she saw that the sincerity on his face did not fade at all, she believed him. She put her arms around him and broke down completely, the held-back sobs breaking out of her with a vengeance.

  
  


"Shhh. Come on now, It's okay," said Isaac, as soothingly as he could muster. "It happened years ago. It doesn't matter anymore."

"B-but I've lived w-w-with it for four y-years," sobbed Mia. "That's o-one piece of my past I c-c-can't b-bear to l-live with!"

"Maybe telling us about it would help ease your pain," said a quiet, deep voice. It was Solaris. He came over and sat down on a boulder next to Isaac.

"How do you know about what I told Isaac?" questioned Mia, her swollen red eyes narrowed and searching.

"Your sobs and voice woke me up," said Solaris. "From what Lunora was telling all of us last night, I could pretty well guess why you were crying. So, I've come here to help."

"How?" asked Isaac, who had his arm around Mia's shoulder.

"I can use Sol to travel back in time," said Solaris. Isaac's and Mia's jaws dropped slightly.

"How? I mean, that's hard to believe," said Isaac, in a bewildered sort of voice.

"That's understandable," said Solaris flatly. "You don't know a lot about me yet. But I assure you, I can draw out the power of Sol to travel back in time."

"Like I said, how?" persisted Isaac, this time with curiosity.

"This is another concept that will take a little explaining," replied Solaris. "Hmm, where should I start . . .

"Sol has been around since the beginning of time. He helped create the four chief elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. Therefore, he has control over all four, and can do with them what he wishes. Since Sol has been around long enough to create these four elements, hence, embedding their powers within yourself, he knows about all, and can take those select few with a bit of his own power back through what he has seen and created. Also, he can take back those who wish to travel with a Sol Adept, in other words, yourselves," said Solaris.

"What about Luna?" asked Mia.

"Luna is a totally different story," said Solaris. "Sure, she controls how water moves, but Sol controls its quantity. Therefore, he can choose to dry up Mercury whenever it feels, which deprives Luna of her control."

"I see," said Isaac after a while. Mia looked like she understood what Solaris had said too.

"Of course, I can only do this if Mia is willing to show us," said Solaris, looking at Mia for her approval.

"What will happen if you mess up?" she asked.

"Sol does not make mistakes," said Solaris firmly. "Once I make this decision, and place my request of where to go, he will guide us through time safely and undetected. Actually, what I thought you would be concerned about most is whether or not you wish to share your past with us."

"I am concerned about that," said Mia. "But, I don't see why not, since you've heard enough already. Sure, let's go."

"Are you certain?" asked Solaris seriously. "Once you make this decision, and I take us back, we cannot come back until the memory is finished."

"I'm certain," replied Mia, giving a huge sigh. "Let's do this now, before I actually change my mind."

"Whoa, hold up," said Isaac, putting up his hands. "What about the others? Won't they see us?"

"Them?" said Solaris, nodding his head in the direction of Ivan, Lunora, and Garet. "Nah. They won't notice a thing."

"Okay guys. Let's hurry up," said Mia urgently. "I want to get this over with."

"Right," said Solaris. He grabbed Isaac's arm with his hand, and insisted that Isaac and Mia connect, to form a circle. Once Isaac held onto both Solaris and Mia, Solaris said something else. "Oh damn, I almost forgot. Where and when in time are we going back to?"

"Oh! Um, my house, exactly four years ago."

"Right," acknowledged Solaris, nodding his head. He then shut his eyes and screwed up his face. His thoughts echoed through Isaac's and Mia's minds. 'Oh eldest and powerful Sol, take us back to the time she has requested. Show us the memory she wants us to see.'

  
  


Instantly, a golden, sparkling light began to form in the center of the circle that was made up of Isaac, Mia, and Solaris. This light formed itself into a ball. Suddenly, flows of magical energy stemmed out of the ball, met each of the three and began to wind its way up their arms. 

  
  


"Don't flinch," said Solaris, feeling Isaac and Mia wince slightly in surprise. "It is not harmful. You will not feel a thing except for a rushing feeling."

  
  


By this time, the energy had enveloped their whole bodies. They all began to glow brighter, the light flickering in brightness. It went from really bright to really dull, really fast. Then, the light glowed brilliantly, so they all had to shut their eyes tightly to avoid being temporarily blinded. Then, with a blinding flash and a rush of flames, Solaris, Isaac, and Mia disappeared . . .

  
  


Imil, four years ago . . .

  
  


Isaac, Solaris, and Mia suddenly appeared in a flash of light in a totally different place than in the cave. After looking around, Isaac saw that they were back in Imil, right on the front doorstep of a house, which he assumed was Mia's.

  
  


"Solaris . . . what the Hell is going on?" he whispered.

"Relax. This is Imil, four years ago, and we're outside Mia's front door. And why are you whispering? These people can neither see or hear us."

"So that's why everything is in black and white," said Mia.

"Correct. As far as we are concerned, we are nowhere. We are in a setting that does not exist, therefore-"

"Erm, Solaris, would you mind? I'm confused enough as it is," said Isaac.

"Oh, right. You will understand as we move on though," said Solaris. His next words were cut off by the front door opening.

  
  


"Mia, you stay here. We're going to look at some wood in Bilibin." 

  
  


"That's my mom," said Mia. "The other man next to her is my dad, and that little girl in the back of the room there is me."

  
  


Isaac took this all in. Her mother looked almost identical to Mia, though her blue hair was considerably longer, as it fell down past her waist. Mia's father did not have long hair though. It fell down to his neck only. Alex's was twice as long as this. The young Mia spoke up.

  
  


"Okay mom, I'll keep my eye on the lighthouse."

"See you later." Her dad said this, and he and her mom kissed Young Mia's cheek before departing. Solaris had to take his arm and pull Isaac and Mia out of the way.

  
  


"Even if we are invisible to them, we are still solid," he said warningly. "They can run into us."

"Okay," replied Mia and Isaac. They then turned back to the door, which Young Mia had closed behind her parents.

"Let's go in," said Mia. "You won't understand anything if we're standing by the front door."

  
  


Solaris nodded, and Mia led him and Isaac through the front door of her house.

  
  


It was nice and warm inside. A fire crackled merrily in the fireplace, burning brightly, and illuminating the shiny hair of Young Mia, giving it a golden tint. To Isaac, this was breathtaking.

  
  


"Ah, another day alone. Oh well, I can find something to do." 

  
  


The Young Mia got up from the cozy-looking armchair in which she was sitting, and walked across the room through another door. Mia, Isaac, and Solaris followed. They found themselves facing a set of narrow, rickety stairs. They heard footsteps above them.

  
  


"Come on. We need to follow me at all times," said Mia.

Isaac shook his head. This was just too weird. The wording of that statement was just too weird for him to respond to, so he just complied with what she said, and followed her up the stairs.

Mia led them to a room at the end of the short, narrow hallway on the second level of her house. They entered it and found Young Mia lying down on her bed, a book in her hand.

  
  


"That's my diary," said Mia. "Get up next to me, and read what I have written."

  
  


Solaris nodded, and Mia led the two guys up next to her past self. She had flipped to a page in her diary and was staring at it, apparently going over what she had written. Isaac craned his neck so he could read Mia's neat handwriting.

  
  


Dear Diary,

  
  


My fourteenth birthday was a few days ago, and I still haven't gotten used to the fact that I am turning into a young woman. What am I supposed to do? There are a lot of cute guys here, but I don't like their personalities. Oh well. I've got a lot of time to figure myself out, and what I want to do with my life. I can't ask my parents for advice. That would be stupid. What should I do?

  
  


"Maybe I'll go to the Mercury Lighthouse and figure this out."

  
  


Isaac, Mia, and Solaris jumped out of the way, careful not to hit anything, as Young Mia flung herself off her bed. She picked up the staff that was lying at the foot of her bed; Isaac recognized it as the Witch's Wand she possessed when she joined up with he, Garet, and Ivan. Young Mia then strode out of her room. Isaac, Mia, and Solaris followed. 

  
  


They watched as she gathered up the clothes she would need to have to withstand the cold outside. She was just writing a note to her parents to explain where she had gone, in case she wasn't back by the time they got home, when she heard a knock on the door.

  
  


A bewildered expression dawned on her face. Clearly, she wasn't expecting anyone. It obviously wasn't her parents, since they had left only a short time ago. She finished the last few words of her note, and went to open the door.

  
  


"Must be someone with a cold." 

  
  


But when she went to open the door, she found that it was not someone with a cold, for there stood Alex.

  
  


Alex looked almost the same here as when Isaac and friends fought him on top of the Jupiter Lighthouse. The only difference in him was his height. He had to be at least six inches shorter, but other than that, Isaac would not have been able to tell the difference between this Alex and the Present Alex. Again, Isaac got that weird feeling inside him that this was indeed too weird for words.

"Right then, I thought he was one of the best-looking men I had ever seen," explained Mia. "He was-"

  
  


But she silenced herself immediately, as Alex began to speak.

  
  


"Hello."

  
  


His voice was soft, smooth, and very pleasant, even four years ago. But, Isaac noticed that he had a look on his face that he had never seen there before. It was pure kindness; no cunning, no deception, no evil. Just an expression you would expect to find on any face.

  
  


"Hi, w-who are you?"

  
  


"Here, I'd hoped he didn't notice my stutter," said Mia. "I was still getting over the shock of seeing someone standing at my front door that I'd never seen before. And . . . I guess . . . I was also taking in how good he looked."

  
  


Isaac nodded. He noticed that the past Mia thought she had sounded rude, saying that to him. But Alex's mouth curled into a pleasant smile. 

  
  


"Oh, that's right. How rude of me. My name is Alex. I come from the far south."

  
  


Alex extended his hand. Young Mia shook it, and blushed slightly. Isaac could tell that she was enjoying holding his hand, since she hesitated in letting it go.

  
  


"My name is Mia. Please, do come in."

  
  


Alex smiled at Young Mia and stepped into the house, and gave a sigh of content at the warmth of the room he was in.

  
  


"So, what brings you to Imil?"

"I've come to seek a new place to live. You see, my old girlfriend," Here, he blushed slightly, "Was expelled from Tundris, the town I come from. I couldn't stand to stay there when she wasn't. So, I left for here. And here I am!"

  
  


Here, he chuckled to himself, and Young Mia giggled.

  
  


"You can stay here if you want." Here, Young Mia went furiously red while Alex laughed.

"Oh no, I wouldn't presume to trouble you further. Actually, I already met some folks on my way here who offered me housing. They said they were on their way to Bilibin, if I remember right."

"Did you say Bilibin?!"

"Yes."

"Those are my parents!" 

"Well! What do you know? It is a small world! How things work out for the better!"

  
  


"Here, I got this little voice in my head that wouldn't leave. It kept saying 'Yes! I might have a chance with him,'" said Mia. 

  
  


Isaac heard, but didn't show any sign that he had done so. He was too keen on watching and listening to what was going on to say anything.

Young Mia had turned as red as a beet at these last words.

  
  


"Well . . . um . . . would you like for me to show you around?"

"Sure, why not? I think it would be a good idea for me to know my surroundings, don't you?"

  
  


Mia nodded, and they disappeared outside, talking and joking in a flurry of snow.

  
  


"Nothing good happens here. Solaris, if we could continue ahead until evening, please," said Mia in a defeated voice.

  
  


"Okay then," said Solaris, and in seconds, after the golden orb had enveloped them all with its brilliant light, they disappeared.

  
  


*******

  
  


When they materialized again, they found that night had fallen, and Young Mia, her mother and her father were seated around their table, sipping what appeared to be a chicken and rice soup. Mia nodded to show that this is where she wanted them to be. Suddenly her mother spoke up.

  
  


"So, did you happen to show Alex around at all?"

"Of course, mom. He and I talked a lot as well. He told me about his life in his old town, Tundris, from the far south."

"That's a good girl. Did you show him the Mercury Lighthouse?" 

"Naturally. He was very interested when I told him that I was the guardian of it, and what it symbolized. So, I offered for him to help me. He didn't hesitate."

  
  


"Whoa, hold it," said Isaac. He looked at Mia. "You appointed him to his position?"

"Erm . . . yes," said Mia, her head bowed.

"Don't feel so bad about it," said Isaac quickly, knowing that he sounded accusing when he asked her his question. "I was just curious."

"I do feel bad about it though," said Mia. "That's the reason he left me. Not that I regret that we're together," she added quickly, but Isaac shook his head dismissively, inviting her to finish what she had started to say. "But if I hadn't appointed him a guardian too, he wouldn't have left for Prox, and he would not have become the evil man he is now."

"Oh, I see. So you feel that-"

"Quiet," said Solaris. "Your father's speaking, Mia."

  
  


"So, you've got a handsome young man to help you eh?" 

"Dad!" Young Mia went red again here.

  
  


"Solaris, we need to go forward again, until Sol is not in the sky," said Mia.

Solaris nodded, and the process that took them forward in time occurred again.

  
  


*******

  
  


They arrived in the same place they had left, Mia's kitchen. It normally would have been pitch-black inside, but Luna shone brightly and illuminated faintly the walls of Mia's house. A light shone through a crack in a door in front of them.

  
  


"Let's go to my room. That's where we need to be," said Mia.

"Okay," said Isaac, and he led the way up the stairs to Mia's room. He entered, and Mia and Solaris followed. 

  
  


Young Mia was once again lying down on her bed, and once again, she had her diary in hand, and was now writing in it, a faint scratching sound coming from the quill she was using. Mia, Isaac, and Solaris didn't have to wait long for her to finish. Then, they leaned in to read what Young Mia had just read. 

  
  


Hey! Me again. Today was downright weird. I was going to go to the Mercury Lighthouse, but then a boy turned up at my door. His name was Alex. He's really good-looking, too! Anyway, what's more, he's going to live with us! I might have a change to get him, even though he just had a girlfriend. Oh well, I'm sure he'll forget about her soon, and then I'll have a chance at him. I have to sleep now. I'm really tired.

  
  


Isaac had just finished reading the last sentence when there was a knock on Mia's bedroom door. 

  
  


"Come in."

  
  


The door opened, and Alex entered the room, smiling at Young Mia's pleased expression. He closed the door and sat down at the foot of her bed.

  
  


"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Hey Alex. Is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to thank you for showing me around today, it really helped me get used to this place."

  
  


Young Mia blushed again. Isaac guessed that it must have been her 20th time that day. He could tell even though he was seeing this memory through black and white.

  
  


"You are more than welcome."

  
  


Alex smiled at her warmly, nodded his head and left the room. Young Mia continued to stare at the door for a long time afterward.

  
  


"By this time, I was sure I was in love with this man," said Mia, disgust in her voice. "I was in love with a man I'd known for 10 hours at most. I later learned that I made my judgment way too early."

  
  


Isaac did not reply. He had to still concentrate to understand what he was seeing and hearing. He knew that Mia could not have known what Alex would become, but he secretly agreed fully with her when she said that she made her judgment too early.

  
  


"Solaris, we must go forward again. Two months and one week forward, in the dead of night, by the lighthouse," said Mia. "Nothing happens until then, except that I became more sure of my feeling toward Alex."

"Okay," said Solaris. Soon after they disappeared from this point in time again.

  
  


*******

  
  


The first thing that Isaac noticed when they materialized again was that it was extremely cold. The reason was evident when he looked up at the night sky. It was totally clear out, the stars twinkled down on them with such brightness that they actually illuminated the ground slightly. He looked ahead, and saw a tall, looming structure in front of him, which he guessed to be the Mercury lighthouse. They then heard voices speak.

  
  


"I'm sorry you lost your old girlfriend, Alex."

"That's okay. It was a while ago. I have to look to the good thing I have now."

"So, you're over her?"

"Almost, but not entirely. Like I said, I have one good thing to look to now."

"And what would that be?"

  
  


Isaac saw Young Mia and Alex sitting at the base of Mercury Lighthouse, on the front steps. Young Mia, not looking as young anymore, was holding her breath, waiting for Alex's next words. She wasn't in vain, either.

  
  


"You."

"You're kidding right? I mean, what would anyone see in me?"

"Mia, you need to know something. I've been here for little more than two months, and I already see what people here appreciate in you. You're kind, caring, and not to mention good-looking. I think that's enough you satisfy any guy who loves you."

"So . . . what are you saying? That you love me?"

"I think I've made that perfectly clear now, haven't I? Or maybe this will help."

  
  


And with this, he leaned forward and kissed Young Mia straight on the lips. Isaac could see the look of mixed surprise and delight on her face, and then she started to return the kiss. Holding Alex tightly to her, she did not let go until Alex did. 

  
  


Isaac watched, three emotions running through his mind. One was that he was feeling hatred towards Alex for leaving her, one was happiness for Young Mia at the pleasure she was getting, and the third was slight anger at Young Mia for not knowing that Alex would betray her. However, his anger quickly subsided as he realized that it was not her fault; it was Alex's.

  
  


"That first kiss was more pure to me than all healing waters put together. Of course that kiss turned out to be the bane of my bane of my life . . . and the many that followed . . ." 

  
  


Mia was shaking her head in disgust. She looked over at Isaac to see his expression, but there was only one of mixed emotions on his face. So many in fact, that she could not figure them out by herself.

  
  


"Isaac, are you okay? Do you want to quit here, and I'll just tell you about the rest back in the cave?"

"No, Mia. I'm fine. It's just hard to see this, when we know that he would not return the same feelings you had towards him."

"Are you sure you don't want to quit?" she persisted.

"Yes, I'm sure. I've seen this much already, why quit here? Besides, I think you showing it to us will also help you let go."

"Isaac, that's why I love you. You care about me and my feelings, even if they are about another man I was in love with," she said, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. Solaris watched all this with amusement.

"I'm sorry to cut you guys off, but Mia, is there anything else you wish to show us?"

Mia did not answer directly. "I have to explain something first. Alex and I grew closer over the following weeks, and soon, we were not to be seen out of sight of each other. It became common knowledge that Alex and me were now a perfect couple Or so it seemed at the time . . .

"Alex and I were together for about 11 months. I still can't deny it . . . those 11 months were some of the best in my life. However, he left me . . . on Christmas Eve. He went to some town called Prox."

"Are you saying we should head to that night?" asked Solaris tentatively.

" . . . Yes," said Mia. "This whole thing I'm showing you would not be complete if we stopped here."

"Fine, then, to Christmas Eve we go!" said Solaris, and in a few seconds, Isaac, Mia and Solaris faded into nothingness. Alex and Young Mia were still kissing on the steps of Mercury Lighthouse, even after Isaac, Mia, and Solaris left . . .

  
  


*******

  
  


Christmas spirit was in the air. It was all Isaac noticed as he reappeared in front of Mia's house. Candles were lit inside the windows of the house, a sign that told strangers that this was a place for lost or homeless travelers to get out of the cold. Mia suddenly opened the door and gestured for them to come inside.

  
  


Isaac saw Mia's parents as soon as he entered the house, stringing the walls with greenery. Mistletoe hung everywhere. Normally, Isaac would have wanted to step under it with Mia, but things needed to be done. 

  
  


"I am upstairs in my room right now . . . um . . . just come on upstairs," said Mia slowly.

  
  


Hesitantly, Solaris and Isaac followed Mia through the small door and up the stairs to her room. She put her hand on the doorknob.

  
  


"I can't entirely remember what I was doing right now," said Mia. 

  
  


She opened the door, to find Young Mia, looking more like the present Mia, lying down on her bed with Alex, who had her in his arms. They were kissing each other passionately.

  
  


"Oh that's right. Now I remember," said Mia, backing out of her room suddenly. She tried to shield Isaac from coming in, but too late.

"Whoa!" Isaac said, putting up his hands and backing out the door. Then to Mia's surprise, she detected a bit of humor in his voice. "I get the idea, Mia." He said this in a hi-pitched voice, unlike his own.

"You're not upset then?" said Mia. 

"Hell no, why should I be? Like I said it was . . . what is it now . . . three years ago? It doesn't matter. Looks like you were having fun though," he said, a slight smirk curling his lips. Mia smiled.

"It was fun, yes," said Mia, and then her face fell. "But, it would be the last time we'd-"

  
  


"Mia! Alex! The turkey's ready!"

"Okay mom, be right there!"

"Yeah, mom, we'll be down in a minute!"

  
  


Young Mia grinned at him and kissed him hard on the lips before putting her arm around his shoulder and leading him downstairs.

  
  


"C'mon," said Mia. "We need to see this. And no, Isaac, it's okay to watch."

"I never said anything," said Isaac, looking politely bemused, his voice now back to normal.

Mia caressed his cheek. "I know you didn't, but your expression did. Tell me something, Mr. Isaac . . . are you jealous?"

"Where's the bathroom?" said Solaris, wanting to escape the wave of romance that he knew was about to come. Mia pointed to a door to his left, and Solaris disappeared behind it.

"What were you saying Mia . . . am I jealous? No, I'm not. Not at all," said Isaac truthfully.

"Yes you are," she said playfully. "I can help you with that." 

  
  


She nodded up at the ceiling, and to Isaac's slight surprise, he found himself standing straight under a particularly large sprig of mistletoe. In an instant, he felt Mia's soft, warm lips pressed hard against his own. Isaac returned it fervently, his hands caressing Mia's back. After a minute or so, she pulled away, smiling at him serenely.

  
  


"So, did that help?"

"Well . . . it was enjoyable, yes. But I wasn't jealous," said Isaac, smiling back at her. 

"That's okay," said Mia. "But, we have to continue now. Please get Solaris out of the bathroom."

  
  


Isaac nodded and knocked on the bathroom door. Solaris reappeared, a smirk on his face. Isaac now knew the real reason he had went into the bathroom, but he overlooked it for now.

  
  


"Come on. We need to go downstairs," said Isaac.

"Right. Let's go," said Solaris, the smirk still on his face. 'Isaac must have enjoyed that,' he thought. Even though he was in the bathroom, the door couldn't block out their voices, so he knew exactly what happened. He looked up suddenly, and found that they were already in Mia's kitchen. 

  
  


Alex, Young Mia, and Mia's mother and father were seated around the table, two red candles burning on either side of an enormous, golden-brown roast turkey. A dish of salad and of mashed potatoes were on the other two sides of the turkey. Tall, green bottles of cider were on opposite sides of the table too. Mia's dad suddenly spoke.

  
  


"Well, what are you two waiting for? Dig in, before it all gets cold!"

  
  


Alex grabbed the large knife and tongs and started cutting off slices of the turkey. Steam wafted into the air above it, and Isaac was greeted by the strong smell of honey. Alex set the first slice of turkey onto Young Mia's plate.

  
  


"It reminds me of you Mia. This one has the most honey. You are my honey."

"Oh Alex, you're such a sweet-talker."

"No Mia, I meant it."

  
  


Young Mia grinned at him and took the knife and tongs from Alex's hands. She then cut off the leg and put it onto Alex's plate.

  
  


"Alex this is my favorite part of a turkey. It reminds me of you, the favorite part of my life."

  
  


"Awwww . . . wasn't that sweet of me?" said Mia sardonically. She then snorted loudly. "Snogging with a traitor."

  
  


Isaac gave her a reproachful look at these words, but he didn't say anything. He didn't know why Mia was being so hard on herself . . . there was no way she could have known that Alex would be leaving her soon, and betraying the Mercury Clan. 

  
  


Alex, after Young Mia said these loving words to him, smiled and took her hand as Mia's dad offered them a cider bottle. Alex took it and poured each of them a half-full glass. Mia's dad then raised his own glass.

  
  


"To Alex and Mia, the most perfect couple I've seen in a good long time."

"Cheers!"

  
  


Everyone said this, and there was the sound of clanking glass. Young Mia and Alex kissed passionately while Mia's mom and dad drank to them.

  
  


"Okay, I've had enough of myself," said Mia, disgust evident on her face and in her voice. She whipped around, facing the front door. "I can remember everything about this anyway. I'm going outside to throw snowballs at something. Call me back in when my mother mentions the mail."

"Okay," said Solaris, as Mia opened the door and strode out, slamming the door behind her.

  
  


Everyone at the table by now had started dishing themselves salad and mashed potatoes. A gravy boat was next to the potatoes, and everyone drowned the potatoes, and began to eat. Alex spoke the first words of approval.

  
  


"Mmmm! This is very good!"

"Yes, mom, delicious! Everything! Thank you."

"You're more than welcome. This is a special night."

  
  


Alex and Young Mia looked at each other, grinning. They both felt the romance and the Christmas spirit thick in the air, and they could help but grin. Meanwhile, Solaris and Isaac had sat down in a couple of those comfy armchairs by the still blazing fire.

  
  


"Solaris, why is Mia so upset with herself?" asked Isaac. "Why can't she just let it go?"

"Put yourself in her shoes," said Solaris, resting his chin on his hands. "She had a passionate relationship with Alex, who left her. That's not what bothers her so much. What bothers her is now that she is with you, she feels guilty about having been with Alex. 

"She still doesn't know what to think right now. But, I think that after she has shown you this, that will fade away, and she will be able to devote herself fully to you, instead of Alex. She needs time to heal, that's all, and people react to healing in different ways. Do you understand now, Isaac?" 

It took a few minutes for Isaac to reply to what Solaris explained to him. "Yes, I do," he said finally. "How do you know all this?"

"Lunora went through the same dilemma that Mia is going through with Alex," said Solaris simply. "And she told me all about it. This to me is just a recurrence of what I've seen before." 

Isaac believed him. What Solaris had told him made sense. But he was slightly perturbed by the fact that Mia still thought about Alex . . . oh well. If what Solaris had said was true, and he was sure it is, then Mia would not feel anything for him by the time this was over.

"Thanks for telling me that," Isaac finished. "It really helped me understand-"

  
  


"Oh, that reminds me, we got lots of mail today!"

"Really mom? Anything for us?"

  
  


Isaac jumped out of his chair and raced for the front door as soon as he heard the word mail. Opening it, he was greeted by a strong blast of cold, though not as strong as what he trekked through at Tundaria. In a second, he spotted Mia hurling snowballs at the frozen river. She was a very good aim, and could hit rocks that were the size of gold coins dead center.

"Mia!" he shouted. She stopped, nodded, and ran back towards the house. 

  
  


She entered, her face red and her gloves icy. Isaac looked at her for a minute. Then, he saw that she was nodding her head at the dinner table, signaling for them to listen and watch what would happen next. Mia's mom started sorting out the pile of letters next to her.

  
  


"Let's see . . . me . . . Dad . . . me . . . me . . . dad . . . dad . . .Alex! Here's something for you."

"Okay. Could you hand it to me? I can't reach the pile."

"It's good that you got mail, Alex."

"I don't understand it though, Mia. I mean, who would write to me that I know of?"

  
  


Alex looked utterly perplexed, and he started to rip open the envelope. A small piece of paper with neatly printed handwriting fell out. He picked it up, and started to read. His lips moved silently as he read. His expression went from nonplused to thoughtfulness, and then resolve. It was a stony-faced resolve though, and the romance in the atmosphere seemed to flicker and die. Young Mia was looking at him, concerned.

  
  


"What's wrong, Alex?"

"Nothing. Nothing whatsoever."

"Yes, there is. You went from all cheerful to looking angry."

"Mia, there is nothing wrong at all. I just have to think."

"Can I see the letter?"

"No. The person who wrote it asked me to show it to nobody else."

"Who wrote it?"

"I don't know. And please, Mia. Stop asking questions. You will know all soon enough."

  
  


And with that, Alex got up from his chair, thanked Mia's parents for dinner, and exited from the room up the stairs. Young Mia looked worried and confused.

  
  


"Mom, do you think I should-"

"No Mia. Leave him be for now. He will tell you when he is ready."

"Dad, do you think he's angry with me?"

"No, not at all Mia. He just needs time. Respect him enough to give him the time he needs."

  
  


"Okay Solaris. One more time jump, and we'll be ready to return to the cave," said Mia. 

"Where to?" asked Solaris quietly.

"Christmas Morning, at the crack of dawn, in my room," said Mia. 

"What happens then?" asked Isaac, but Solaris glared at him.

"You will find out soon enough," he said. Ane he transported them to Mia's requested time.

  
  


*******

  
  


They materialized in a few seconds. Mia's room was bathed in the orange glow of the rising sun. Isaac looked around. Mia was asleep, a small smile on her face. The side of the bed next to her had the covers to the near end, and it looked like someone had been sleeping there. A faint groan came from Young Mia, and she put her arm across the other side of the bed. When she felt nobody there, her eyes snapped open.

  
  


"Alex?"

  
  


She looked around. There was no sign of him. The possessions of his that Isaac had seen in her room the day before were now gone.

  
  


"Alex? Where are you?"

  
  


She then looked to his night-stand. A piece of paper lay upon it, written by who Isaac assumed to be Alex. Young Mia picked it up and started to read. Tears welled in her eyes as she did so. When she finished, she dropped the piece of paper, and ran out of the room, sobbing. Mia was smirking at her past self.

  
  


"Oh no," she said falsely, still smirking. "I just read a letter by a man who I could not see was to betray me. Come on, let's read it guys! It'll give me a laugh."

"I think she's starting to forget about him," whispered Isaac to Solaris. Solaris nodded, smiling slightly. 

"What are you waiting for? My tears to dry? Go on . . . read it!" said Mia, her smirk still evident.

Isaac complied with her wish and bent down to read what was written on the tear-stained paper.

  
  


Mia,

  
  


Some very important news has reached me here, of which I cannot ignore. I had to leave immediately. I cannot say where. It might give something away. I'm so sorry sweetie, but I had to leave to fill an empty space in my life.

  
  


I know I will regret leaving you like this, kind and beautiful as you are. But this was a choice, like I said, that I felt I had to make. You will understand why in time. 

When you see me again, which will not be for a few years, I will be a changed man, unrecognizable from who you once knew to be Alex. And it is probable that you will not like the change in me. 

  
  


I have my reasons for leaving Imil. These reasons I feel you would not understand right now. You will know all, however, as time passes. Again, I'm so sorry I left you like this. Good luck in your future, wherever it may take you. 

  
  


All my love to you,

Alex

  
  


"That's it," sighed Mia. "That's all I wish to show you. We can return to the cave."

"Right, then," said Solaris. He concentrated, called Sol, and the golden light soon wrapped itself around their arms. They were going back . . .

  
  


Tundris Cave, present . . .

  
  


They materialized right where they left. It appeared that time did not pass while they were gone. Garet, Ivan, and Lunora were all still asleep, the fire was still blazing, orange shadows dancing on the walls. 

  
  


Isaac and Mia instantly crawled into their blankets; both were exhausted by the events that had just occurred. Solaris, however, came next to Isaac and sat down on a rock. Mia suddenly spoke up. 

  
  


"So that's it. He left me. I later found out that he went to Prox and became part of the team that organized the plans for lighting all of the elemental lighthouses. I realized all this on top of the Mercury Lighthouse. This was more important to him than me. Power. That's all he wants," said Mia sourly.

"Wow," was all Isaac could say. An awkward silence followed. After a few minutes, Solaris spoke up.

"So Mia, do you feel better now that you've talked about it?" 

"Much," said Mia, smiling at Solaris, and squeezing Isaac's hand. "Thank you, Solaris."

"Anytime you need to talk, feel free to ask for help from me," he said seriously. 

"I will do that. Thanks again," said Mia. Solaris then walked away and got under his blanket. His soft snores could soon be heard reverberating around the room, along with Garet's occasional hog-like snores.

  
  


With the exception of the snoring and the crackling of the fire, no other noises penetrated the air around them for at least five minutes. Isaac suddenly heard Mia call out to him.

  
  


"Isaac? Are you still awake?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think about the last scene I showed you? Do you think me weak?"

"Not at all, Mia. You must have been devastated by all that. I would've been."

"I was. But now that I've shown this to you, and now that I have you, that has worn off entirely."

"I'm glad," said Isaac, scooting closer to Mia. "Now, I have a question for you."

"What?"

"When did you start to fall in love with me?"

"Isaac, you have no idea. I've loved you ever since I found out about your loss in Vale. I figured that you would relate to my situation if I ever told you."

"I would have, and I did," said Isaac, scooting closer. "I felt like you did when I lost my dad. I would have asked you to tell me, but I was too worried that you would be upset with me, or think that I was nosy."

"Isaac, I would never be upset with you," said Mia, putting her hand on his face. "Look at me."

  
  


Isaac turned his head to face his girlfriend. They were now so close that one breath ruffled the other's hair slightly. She looked somehow stronger than she was before she showed Isaac her worst memories. 

  
  


She put her other hand on the other side of his face, and pulled him in for a kiss. Isaac grabbed her and pulled her in close to him, and started running his hands up and down her back, and through her hair. She let out a slight moan of pleasure as Isaac kissed harder. Mia's hand was up Isaac's shirt and was moving across his torso region. The healing process was over.

  
  


Had Isaac and Mia been more attentive, and not focused so much on their kissing and rubbing and all that, they would have noticed that the absence of Garet's occasional snores meant that they now were not the only ones lying awake.

  
  


***********************

  
  


I did not particularly enjoy typing up this chapter when I did, but it was necessary to the storyline. If you thought it was too sappy, I apologize, but . . . well . . . I don't know. Try to give me the benefit of the doubt, okay?

  
  


And review it! The geckos liked the reviews for chapter seven, and they want ones similar to it! And so do I for that matter . . .


	9. The Welcome and the News

Ha! I'm back. Yes, it's me, SirGecko with another chapter of this fic. Number nine. It's the average-sized one sandwiched in between my two big chapters. It's about eight pages long . . . I can't remember exactly (pathetic, eh?). So, do some reviewing, and you'll have the monster: chapter 10.

  
  


I, again, want to thank all the reviewers who took the time to review this fic. I put a ton of work into it, and your reviews are greatly appreciated, the feedback I like. Thanks again. Go get yourself a pop now, and then come back and read this. 

  
  


Well, for security reasons, I must post that essential, yet constantly annoying disclaimer. So, here goes. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If you truly think so, then call Camelot, or whoever and see what they think. 

  
  


Okay then. Onto chapter 9!

  
  


***************************

  
  
  
  


Chapter 9: The Welcome and the News

  
  


"Okay, time to get up! We've got things to do and a lighthouse to visit," shouted Lunora's tired voice. "Time to get ready for the second, and much worse, hike through the cold."

  
  


Isaac opened his eyes, and rubbed them with one hand sleepily. He still felt a shred of the happiness that had flooded though him only a couple of hours ago. He looked down at the girl of his dreams. Mia was still sleeping, a small smile etched on her face. Her hair had come out of its elegant design, and was now strewn all around her head, which rested itself on Isaac's shoulders. Isaac did not want to disturb her, but he was the leader. Things had to be done.

  
  


He sat up and stretched. He heard some faint mumbling from next to him, a sign that he had just woken Mia up. She gave Isaac a slight kiss on his neck as he leaned back again with a great sigh of content. Unfortunately, not all enjoyed last night.

  
  


Garet was unable to sleep after he heard Mia and Isaac whispering to each other. She had mentioned something about 'feeling better now that I have shown you this'. He stayed up for a few minutes after this, pondering what she could've been talking about. 

  
  


What Garet heard next was utterly sappy. It took him a long time to fall asleep after this, what with Isaac's and Mia's kissing. He felt is was not right, under the circumstances they were here for, and the race against time. Of course, Isaac and Mia weren't to know that he stayed awake though everything. 

  
  


Isaac got up entirely and smoothed his hair into its usual style. He started to help Mia put her hair into its number of elegant bands, but she grabbed his hand.

  
  


"Don't bother. The wind will just undo it again," she said.

"You're right. This would be pointless," agreed Isaac. "But even without, you'll still look beautiful," he added passionately.

  
  


He smiled at her and tried to pull his hand free of Mia's grasp, intending to start of get ready, but Mia wouldn't let it go. He soft, slender fingers pulled his hand forward, her eyes full of desire. Isaac went willingly forward with his hand, and their lips met again.

  
  


Everybody else watched them kiss with different expressions on their faces. Solaris looked satisfied, Lunora looked amused, and Garet looked positively revolted. Ivan was still asleep. This was good, because if he woke up and saw this, he would have made sure that Isaac and Mia wouldn't forget this for a long time. Solaris spoke up.

  
  


"Quite sentimental, but time is of the essence. We need to get to the Luna Lighthouse before nightfall, and then you can continue your . . . uh . . . that is . . . where you left off."

  
  


Isaac and Mia broke apart quickly, looking quite embarrassed. Ivan, by this time, had woken up. He sat up groggily and looked around. Everyone was staring at Isaac and Mia. By this point, he could pretty well have guessed what just happened. Just to be sure, he turned to Garet and read his mind. Garet didn't even notice.

  
  


'Sick! They were kissing last night, as if that weren't enough, and now they do it again! Not that I mind them kissing, just not in front of me! . . . It makes me jealous . . .'

  
  


Ivan stopped here. He knew enough. Ivan felt a huge smirk plaster his face, and a light floaty feeling, one of great triumph. Hee hee hee heeeeeeeeee! A double whammy! Isaac and Mia snogging, and Garet's jealous! This was perfect, just too perfect. But there was no time for poking fun now. 

  
  


"Let's just do what Solaris said, and get ready to go," said Isaac, trying to fill the very nasty silence. 

To his relief, everyone complied with what he said. They bustled around, gathering their blankets, and stomping out the embers of the fire. At last, they were ready to go. Lunora suddenly spoke as everyone gathered their stuff together.

  
  


"We continue south from here, down that passageway," she explained, indicating the passageway to her left. We'll hit the end of it soon after that. Monsters might be lurking about in the passageway, so be alert. Once at the end, we'll emerge out on the south side of the mountains. The cold on this side will be unbearable, so be ready for it."

  
  


The group nodded. So, they picked up their weapons and backpacks, and after what seemed like days, they started on their way again.

  
  


*******

  
  


"This is it! The end of the tunnel," said Lunora, torn between excitement and nervousness.

  
  


She and the others were still walking along the narrow passageway. She must have recognized every bend to know where they were at without arriving there first. Isaac turned back to his group as they proceeded.

"Okay, everyone bundle up!" commanded Isaac. Everyone but himself threw their blankets over their heads. He had insisted that Mia start out with the blanket this time. She had accepted reluctantly. 

What struck the group as ominous was that they already needed the blankets, and they hadn't even gotten out of the cave yet. Then, after assessing the very end of the tunnel, they all made a disappointing discovery. 

  
  


"Dammit!" shouted Solaris. It was obvious to everyone why he swore. The exit to the cave was completely blocked by a huge drift of snow.

"How are we going to remove all this snow by the time nightfall comes? Damn," cursed Lunora.

"You keep telling us we need to be there by nightfall," said Ivan, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Why?"

"I've been waiting for someone to ask me that," said Lunora, smiling at him. "It is a truly marvelous, yet puzzling concept.

"The Luna Lighthouse is on the edge of Weyard, as I have told you before. However, the lighthouse only appears at night When Luna shines down upon the spot where it resides. So-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have a question," said Mia. "This storm outside has clouds extremely thick to go with it. How are we supposed to go to the lighthouse when the clouds are going to most likely obscure the moon?"

"Another good question," said Lunora. "You see, Luna will always shine. It has enough control over the clouds to always keep them clear of the light she shines upon the lighthouse. Anyway, we need to get to the base of the lighthouse before night falls, so we'll have plenty of time to solve its puzzles."

"Why would we need that time? Haven't you explored the lighthouse?" asked Garet.

"Not entirely, Garet," said Lunora sadly. "My progress was blocked by a stone pillar in front of the door, which I could not reach. I would have needed a Venus Adept to proceed. Now, the other reason we need a lot of time is because we'll need it to settle any issues between Karst, Agatio, and Alex."

  
  


She put emphasis on the word Alex, and glanced at Mia, who stared right back, her eyes flashing. Obviously, Solaris had told her about his Mia's and Isaac's little trip through time. Lunora continued.

  
  


"The amount of time we have is roughly four hours, according to the moon."

"What happens if we don't finish in time?" asked Garet nervously. 

"I don't even want to think about it," said Lunora, shuddering. 

"If we don't finish in time, one of two things will happen," cut in Solaris. "We could be thrown into the core of the lighthouse, never to come out of it again, or we could just be thrown off, depending on where we are at the time it disappears."

"Those are great options," said Mia sarcastically. "Do we die, or do we die?"

"Keep in mind that that's if the worst comes to the worst, though," added Solaris quickly, trying to look on the positive side of things.

"Hey guys, while we stand here, precious minutes are ticking away! We've gotta figure out how to remove this drift!" said Isaac urgently.

"He's right," said Ivan, nodding. "Let's get going!"

"But how, though?" said Lunora despairingly. "We won't get this done and still have enough time left!"

  
  


The group thought hard for a few minutes, but nothing came to mind. All of a sudden, Isaac felt a slight quiver under his tunic, and a high squeaky noise. Then, the idea came to him.

  
  


"Djinn," he said.

"What?" said Garet, starting to snicker. "The Djinn?! What are they gonna do . . . make snowmen?"

  
  


All of a sudden, the tips of Garet's spiky red hair went ablaze. Everyone started to laugh. Garet looked at them, a befuddled expression on his face. Then, he looked up, and saw the orange light dancing on top of his head.

  
  


"Aaaaughh!" he screamed. He charged forward, and threw himself head-first into the snowdrift. A loud, sizzling sound could be heard as soon as his hair touched the snow. 

  
  


By this time, everybody was positively howling with laughter, but none laughed harder than Solaris. Garet came up from the snowdrift, the tips of his normally spiky red hair now black and still smoking slightly. He looked livid.

  
  


"Alright! Which of you Djinn burned my hair?!" he roared. Seven little Mars Djinn popped out of a pocket in Garet's stuffed backpack, sniggering heartily. But none more so than the little Djinni on the far right.

"Torch!" shouted Garet. By this time, all of the Adepts' Djinn had appeared from various places on their respective Adept, sniggering loudly, as well as the Adepts.

"What? You're the one who insulted us! It seemed only fair to even the score," said Torch squeakily. Garet didn't reply.

"Anyway, back to my suggestion," said Isaac, after he stopped laughing. The realization that dawned on him next was that Torch's little prank had wasted a good five minutes. "What do you all think of it? They'll work much faster than us."

"What are you talking about? Garet could just Pyroclasm the damn thing and *poof*! All done!" said Ivan impatiently. Lunora giggled at his tone of voice. 

"Hey man, I'm drained," said Garet. Then he said, in a much quieter voice, "If you heard what I did last night, you'd be drained too."

"I know about it," said Ivan. 

"Wha? How do you . . . you little whelp! You read my mind again, didn't you?!" shouted Garet, making to charge after Ivan, but Solaris held him back.

"Control yourself, man," he said. 

  
  


Breathing heavily, Garet straightened himself up and dusted himself off unnecessarily. He had a set face, but a friendly face nonetheless.

  
  


"No hard feelings man, eh?" he asked, extending his hand. Ivan gratefully shook it.

"Isaac, your suggestion is a good one," said Lunora, trying to put things back on track. Everyone else agreed. 

"How about we have only our Djinn leaders do the work?" suggested Mia. "That way, things won't be as chaotic."

"Good idea," said Isaac. "Flint!"

  
  


A Venus Djinni popped out form under his tunic, where he had been shielding himself from the cold, and after it had stopped laughing at Garet.

  
  


"What's up, pal?"

"Get to work on that snowdrift! And work fast, Flint, time is of the essence!" 

"You got it!" squeaked Flint. 

  
  


All around Isaac, the other Adepts were doing the same thing: addressing their lead Djinn, and giving them instructions on what to do, and commanding them to help Flint. So, they all set to work; Flint immediately took charge. 

  
  


Flint swung into the snow mercilessly with his cleaver, scattering snow about behind him. Forge boosted Flint's strength. Gust blew snow out of the way. Fizz restored any lost strength in the other Djinn. Flare (Solaris's lead Djinni) melted any snow in its way. Darkness (Lunora's lead Djinni) protected all of them from the cold by encircling them with a mystical aura.

  
  


The Djinn worked extremely fast, having understood that there was no time to spare. In only a few minutes, Flint, Flare, and Gust had broken through the mountain of snow.

  
  


"Done!" Flare cried happily, but he was quickly knocked over. A freezing blast of air and snow blew into everyone's face. Gust hovered forward and blew out a bigger opening that everyone could fit through.

"Thanks, guys," said Isaac appreciatively. The Djinn nodded and squeaked their acknowledgments, and then hopped back to their respective Adepts. 

  
  


Everyone threw the blankets over their heads and stepped through the drift. Everyone soon noticed how much new snow had accumulated since the last time they had been outside. It had to have snowed at least another foot and a half, maybe even more. Lunora's now distant voice suddenly rang through the air.

  
  


"If we follow the mountains west, we should come straight to Tundris! The walk should be no more than an hour. Come! We must hurry!" And so they set off once again, following the base of the mountains.

  
  


It didn't take long for everyone to notice how much colder it was on this side of the mountains than on the other side. Isaac noticed especially quickly, since he didn't have a blanket. The snow blew harder, the wind was fiercer, and the air in general was much colder.

All of a sudden, Isaac felt something warm hit him in the side of the head. It was a wool blanket, thrown to him by Mia. Mia came up to him and put an arm around his shoulder.

  
  


"It looked like you needed it more than me," she shouted, grinning.

  
  


Isaac nodded, too cold to speak. The wind was so loud at that particular instant, that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. 

  
  


Isaac extended his gloved hand in front of his face, trying to block the snow from his eyes. He had little success, though. The wind kept shifting direction slightly, blowing snow in from somewhere else.

  
  


Isaac looked as far off into the distance as he could. All he saw, however, was white. White, as far as the eye could see. And the cold itself was still unbearable, even with a blanket on. He didn't know how Mia could stand it. She just trudged on, arms wrapped around herself for warmth, a small smile etched on her face. Isaac deeply admired her for this.

  
  


Up ahead, Solaris and Lunora were having a conversation.

  
  


"How long has it been since you left?" asked Solaris.

"Four years," sighed Lunora over the wind. Actually, quite a bit of the town was sad to see me go. You know, the ones who didn't think tradition was everything." Here, her soft voice hardened a little. 

"The ones who gave me the sneering faces were the families of the people on the council who voted to expel me from town. Alex and my friends tried to tell them to leave me alone, but those stupid bastards told Alex and my friends that they were in league with a traitor." Here, she started spitting her words out. 

"My parents didn't even say goodbye or anything when I walked out of the gates. Anything to save their reputation and our tradition, and anything would do!"

Solaris remained silent through all of this. Then he spoke up. "When I was little, I was always shunted to one side when Saturos was my brother. He was taught by the greatest swordsman in Prox, and probably in all of Western Weyard. And, of course, I was just his kid tag-along brother. "Saturos and I started out being really close, as most young brothers do. Then, when he went to see Agatio and started to learn about the lighthouses, he became distant with me.

"Eventually, he became obsessed with lighting the lighthouses. And hardly anything else mattered to him after that," Solaris went on irritably. "Agatio drove him insane. My brother. My only brother! He drove Saturos so insane that he died from it! I'LL KILL AGATIO! I'LL KILL HIM!!!" he shouted, his voice cracking slightly. 

  
  


Garet suddenly popped up on his right side, his blanket uneven at the top where his hair still managed to keep it up.

  
  


"Hey man, it's okay. It wasn't your fault, or Saturos's. If it's anybody's fault, it's mine. I helped kill Saturos."

"No, Garet. Saturos was dead long before you killed him. Agatio wiped all sanity from him, and to me, that is just like dying. If anything, I'm glad you killed my brother. I wouldn't want to see him live on like that."

  
  


Lunora spoke again from Solaris's other side.

  
  


"I felt that way about my parents. They persuaded over half of the council into believing I was a traitor. All for some stupid tradition!" her voice rose uncontrollably in anger.

  
  


In the middle of the group, Isaac, and Mia listen to Solaris and Lunora relive their pasts. Their eyebrows were raised the whole time. 

  
  


"Sounds like their teenage years were tough," commented Isaac.

"It does," said Mia. "Mine weren't exactly a stack of pancakes either. All of that stuff with Alex." she broke off. "Of course, at the time, the time I did spend with him was great. But the months that followed his absence were so miserable. 

"I imagine," said Isaac, nodding. "I don't like him much now, but I'm sure he was very likable four years ago. The time when I lost my did . . ." Isaac broke off. "Man, our teenage years pretty much sucked," he added. 

  
  


This made both of them snicker. All of a sudden, they heard a noise, an unmistakable shout of joy. It came from Lunora.

  
  


"Unless my eyes are deceiving me, Tundris approaches!"

  
  


Everyone looked ahead, and they indeed saw lights and smoke billowing into the sky in the distance, before being blown away by the raging winds and swirling snow. The group all let out a whoop of joy, and jumped into the air.

  
  


A few minutes after that, small outbursts of pain arose. The cold had split their lips again, and had also cracked their nasal passages. Blood oozed from their lips and nose again, and to make matters worse, it froze to their face. But they pressed on. 

  
  


Isaac could now see Tundris better. The glows that emanated from the windows was very inviting. Isaac, enticed by the feeling of warmth that he would soon feel, sped up, along with everyone else. They were all anxious to get out of the cold.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac walked through the town gate, two tall, glittering ice pillars several feet apart. The town itself was quite small. It had a very long building right in the center, which Isaac assumed to be the Town Council Building.

  
  


Lunora was quite happy to be seeing her hometown again for the first time in four years. She would have explained what and where everything is, but her lips were too cracked and numb to speak. 

  
  


Instead, she led them to the inn. It was a welcome relief to everyone when they stepped inside the door. A fire was crackling merrily in the fireplace, and was quite a bit of jostling around by all to get close to it, so they could "defrost".

  
  


Everyone took off their snow-covered wool blankets, and draped them in front of the fire. The blood on everyone's faces that had frozen in thin lines was now starting to melt. 

  
  


A voice suddenly spoke out from the shadows. It had the same accented voice as Lunora, only this new voice was slightly heavier and less floaty.

  
  


"Welcome to the Tundris Inn. How long will you be staying . . . Bless Luna! It can't be . . . Lunora, is that you?!"

Lunora had a broad grin on her face. "Sagan! It's been too long!" she cried happily. They both rushed forward and embraced. Even Garet couldn't help but smile. Then, Lunora drew away and turned back to the rest of the group. 

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet one of my old best friends. This is Sagan." Sagan nodded, smiling broadly. "These are my traveling companions: Isaac, Garet, Mia, and Solaris, who's been my friend ever since I arrived in Prox. Oh, and I almost forgot Ivan!" she said, smiling at him and tousling his hair. Sagan shook everyone's hand.

"Nice, very nice," she said happily. She then turned back to Lunora. "So, what brings you to Tundris, after all these years? Finally decided to defy the Council, huh?"

"No, even though that would be nice," said Lunora, a steely smile on her face. "We've come here concerning business with the Luna Lighthouse. We must protect it from being lit, for a fearsome group is on the way to light it. We have to prevent that from happening."

"What are you talking about? We need the lighthouse lit!" said Sagan, looking surprised that Lunora didn't know this. Lunora was taken aback.

"But . . . but . . . the reason we are a town was to prevent exactly that from happening! That would be going against our tradition!" 

"I know it, but-"

"They banish me from town because I wasn't loyal enough to guard the lighthouse, and now they wish to light it themselves?" Lunora looked furious. 

"Why did they decide to light the lighthouse?" asked Ivan.

"As soon as the Jupiter Lighthouse was lit, an imbalance was created between the Common elements, Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, and the Forgotten elements: Sol and Luna.. With three Common lighthouses lit and no Forgotten lighthouses lit, Luna has gotten angry, and her fury is this storm. She wants her lighthouse lit, and her fury will go away. But the storm will get steadily worse until Luna Lighthouse is lit, and we will all freeze to death," explained Sagan. 

"Okay. Now that I know the reasoning behind lighting the lighthouse, and seeing that lives are at stake, we agree with letting the group light the lighthouse. But I'm still skeptical . . ." said Lunora slowly.

"It was a tough decision for the Council to make, Lunora. Your parents did everything they could to prevent this course of action-"

"Of course they would! All they care about is this town's damn traditions! They don't give a damn about anything else, as long as the damn traditions are kept!" screamed Lunora, spit flying from her mouth.

  
  


She and Sagan continued to work out the current change of plans, while Isaac and company (and Solaris) talked amongst themselves.

  
  


"Man, I've never seen her this angry in my life," commented Solaris to Garet. 

"She has issues," Garet whispered. Solaris snickered.

  
  


Then, Garet felt something hard hit him in the back of the head. It was Mia's staff. Garet spun around, rubbing the back of his head. 

  
  


"Don't be so insensitive!" snapped Mia. "How would you like it if you got kicked out of your house?"

Garet thought about this. "To be totally honest with you, when my sister's there, I go over to Isaac's. And my sister's there almost all the time. So, basically, I wouldn't mind at all."

  
  


Everyone snickered, even Mia. Then, everyone turned their attention back to Lunora's and Sagan's conversation. 

  
  


"Where are the Council members and my parents?" asked Lunora. 

"Well, most of the Council has gone to the Luna Lighthouse, and your parents are at home, going over some paperwork."

"But why? They don't even have the Luna Star!" said Ivan.

"I agree with Ivan," said Lunora. "What would they gain from going to the lighthouse if they don't even have the star?"

"Think about it for a moment, Lunora," said Sagan quietly. 'These travelers you're talking about . . . the fearsome group, as you say . . . they have the Star, but they need one more thing."

Everyone thought about this for a moment. Then, Isaac spoke up.

"They need a Luna Adept to open the lighthouse for them," he said.

"Precisely!" said Sagan, gesturing towards Isaac. 

"Thank you Isaac," said Lunora. "I couldn't remember that part."

"When should the Lighthouse appear?" asked Lunora. 

"What are you talking about?" asked Sagan. "It already appeared an hour ago."

"W-what?!" stuttered Lunora. "Oh Luna no . . . come on! We must make haste!"

  
  


************************

  
  


This just goes to show that it's never good to be late for anything. Unless it's school ^_^. Then that's OK. 

  
  


This is SirGecko signing . . . oh wait. My geckos just said this.

  
  


"You moron, you forgot to tell those readers to review that excuse for a fanfic!"

  
  


Hey, I take personal insult to that last part of the statement . . . but the other half, I heartily agree with. REVIEW!!!


	10. The Race Against Luna

Ah, yes, the one and only SirGecko is back again with the first double-digit chpater of mine: chapter 10. This chapter is my biggest. It's HUGE. 17 pages on my computer (which is actually not much bigger than chapter 8), and it'll take me about 20 minutes to read it (and I'm the fastest reader in my class). So, it's a long one folks. And I'm sure you'll like it.

  
  


Thanks to all my reviewers. I thought I got a smiley face from Anime-Master 7, but I can't remember . . . ah, well. And I'm glad that I know Akachi isn't dead (or hasn't lost interest in this fic). So, you two and all the others, thanks a lot for reviewing.

  
  


Now . . . *face turns red* for the disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, well, I'd publish this. But, since I'm using licensed characters and ideas, that's not really an option now, is it? Damn . . .

  
  


Oh well. Now, for the immense chapter 10!

  
  


********************* 

  
  
  
  


Chapter 10: The Race Against Luna

  
  


Lunora and everyone else grabbed their blankets from where they sat next to the fire, and then tore out of the inn, shouting a hurried "Bye!" to Sagan as they went. 

  
  


"Okay guys, this is the plan," said Lunora. "We have three hours left. There can't be any delays. We have to be as quick as possible in order to catch Alex and the others, and to get off of the lighthouse safely. We must run! Now!"

  
  


Without a backward glance, she and the others raced out of town. The sky was completely black now, because night had fallen. This made things all the more colder. Everyone threw the blankets over their heads (except for Mia) and they all set off in the direction of the Luna Lighthouse.

  
  


"Be warned . . . the lighthouse will be very hard to see," shouted Lunora. "It's entirely black, so we may very well run into it."

  
  


The group quickened their pace against the wind as much as possible, but they were having great difficulty standing up in general. This was by far the worst weather that they had encountered so far. They were getting closer to the center of the storm. Luckily for them, this would be their shortest walk. 

  
  


But to Isaac, it didn't feel that way. The wind bit so fiercely as his exposed bits of flesh that the numbness he felt was almost instantaneous. New red lines came down from his lips and nostrils. Despite how cold he was feeling, he took off the blanket and tossed it to Mia, who put it on gratefully. 

  
  


"How much longer will it be until we reach the lighthouse?" shouted Ivan. 

"Not much longer," Lunora screamed back. "In fact, we should be coming up on it very qui-"

  
  


She suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everyone why she did so. The howling wind, the swirling snow . . . it was gone. There was no wind to numb the skin, no snow to blind their vision . . . nothing. Nothing but quiet. 

  
  


Isaac looked around, his mouth hanging open. For he saw that the wind and snow was still going strong about 20 feet behind him. It was like the center of those fierce ocean storms . . . hurricanes, he thought they were called. In the center, it was all calm and pleasant, while the storm raged around them. And then, he looked ahead. 

  
  


The Luna Lighthouse was there, black as the darkest shadow; Isaac briefly wondered how he was able to make it out against the mass of black in the air. The lighthouse looked quite ominous to him, but he suspected that it would look less ominous had it not been for the swirling snowstorm all around them. Still, others looked at the whole situation from a different viewpoint.

  
  


"It's magnificent," breathed Mia. 

"It has a foreboding sensation, I think," said Garet. Isaac at least knew that he wasn't the only one who thought this.

"Well, maybe you'll change your mind when you look up to the top of the lighthouse," said Lunora.

  
  


Garet and Isaac looked up, and their mouths dropped. Great, billowing, black clouds were emanating from the top of the lighthouse, and fanning out in all directions. It was like there was a giant mechanism up there that was generating the clouds, and sending them out.

  
  


"Well, I don't know how you find that magnificent, Mia, because that scares the Hell out of me," said Isaac.

"I bet if we sat here and watched, the clouds would get bigger and blacker, as Luna gets angrier," said Lunora airily.

"Hey, I just thought of something," said Garet. 

"Really? Wow that's an improvement from last time, when you tried to think of something and nothing happened," said Ivan. Everyone snickered. Garet ignored this snide remark.

"Well, tell us on the way Garet, because we need every minute we can get," said Mia. Everyone nodded, and proceeded up the black stone steps, and through the front entrance of the lighthouse.

"Now, what were you thinking of?" asked Solaris, as they stepped into the first room of the Luna Lighthouse. 

"Well . . . I was just wondering . . . why the Hell are we even bothering to come here, if we're just going to let Felix and the others light the beacon?"

"Because, even though we're going to let Agatio and Karst light the beacon this time, does that mean we're going to let them light the other two?" responded Lunora curtly. "It'd be best to stop them here rather than on the Mars Lighthouse, which is where we're going next."

"Oh, I get it now," said Garet, nodding. 

"That's good. Now, let's focus on what's ahead."

"Lunora, why do we need to hurry? Don't you know the layout of the lighthouse?" asked Ivan.

"Because, swe- I mean Ivan, I only know a little bit of it," said Lunora, her pale blushing furiously. "My path was blocked by a statue that I need a Mars adept to move. I can guide you through the portion of the lighthouse that I do know, however. Come on." 

  
  


*******

  
  


"Here we are. Garet, you need to move this statue for us."

  
  


Ten minutes later, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora came to a halt in front of a statue of Luna, blocking a door across a narrow gap. Garet stepped forward and Moved the statue out of the way, revealing a long, narrow tunnel.

  
  


"Okay, I don't know anything about the lighthouse beyond this," said Lunora. 

  
  


So, equal now in knowledge of the current situation, they hopped over the gap and proceeded along the dark, narrow tunnel. Where the tunnel ended, it opened into a very wide, spacious room. Silvery rainbow dust glimmered along the walls, illuminating the walls. They were carved out of black stone, the face of Luna peered back at them kindly from every few feet, where heads were carved into the stone.

  
  


"Look! A stone tablet in the middle! It probably tells us vaguely about what we need to do," said Lunora, running forward to read it.

  
  


Ye who seek to climb the Luna Lighthouse, must do so using your cunning, daring, and agility. For those who do not finish in time, thou shall suffer a very painful and instantaneous death. This structure will not be testing your skills as an adept, but at your ability to get through mazes. These will slow ye down sufficiently. So, combine all three, and finish with ease. Ignore even one of the three, and ye will never know the light of day again. So, unless ye wish to spend the rest of your life in the core of Luna Lighthouse, proceed with caution!

  
  


"Mazes," grunted Solaris. "So simple, yet so dangerous. If we get lost too much, we die. I'm sure there will be pointers along the way."

"Sounds like we need to act quickly," said Isaac. "Let's move!" So, moving quickly, all rushed past the stone tablet, and went deeper into the Luna Lighthouse.

  
  


After a few minutes, and after climbing a set of gleaming black stone steps, the group came up on another stone tablet, and the makings of a maze looming in front of them. Lunora bent over to read it.

  
  


Ye who wish to challenge this maze . . . must do one thing before ye find the exit. Ye must find the Obsidian Diamond and return it to the Luna statue to which it belongs. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . .

  
  


"Right, so all we have to do is find the Obsidian," said Mia. "That doesn't sound too difficult."

"It's probably harder than it sounds, though," remarked Solaris, a set expression on his face. 

"Let's go! We must move quickly!" urged Lunora. "I know you're getting tired of hearing this, but it is crucial that we act!" 

Ivan nodded. "Shouldn't we split up?"

"No, we'll be screwed if we get separated," said Isaac.

"Uh, can we go now?" said Garet. Everyone nodded, and proceeded into the maze.

  
  


As soon as they got 10 feet inside the walls of the maze, however, a wall materialized out of nowhere, and sealed off the entrance with an earsplitting *THUD!*

  
  


"Oh, damn," moaned Garet. "Oh, damn, oh damn, oh-"

"Shut up, will you?" snapped Ivan. "Swearing at it won't help. Let's just concentrate on finding the other way out."

  
  


Garet nodded, and they began their search for the Obsidian. Scouring the floor for the diamond, they bent low, eyes sweeping back and forth along the narrow halls they walked. But after 10 minutes of fruitless searching, there was no trace of it. Tempers were running high.

  
  


"Dammit! We keep wasting time!" cursed Solaris. "I know there's nothing we can do about it, but It's just frustrating!"

"Well, maybe it's not on the ground," said Mia, grinning broadly.

"What do you mean, it's not on the ground? Where else would it . . . why are you so happy?" asked Isaac.

  
  


Mia pointed to the wall. And there, glittering brilliantly, was a gleaming, shiny, large black diamond embedded slightly in the maze wall. Solaris walked up and pulled it out of the wall with little difficulty.

  
  


"This is it," he said happily. 

"Now, let's find that statue of Luna," said Ivan.

  
  


It didn't take them long to find Luna, only about five minutes. The statue was beside the left wall of the maze, the left eye glittering, and empty stone in the right. Solaris pulled the Obsidian out of his pocket and placed it inside Luna's right eye socket. Nothing clicked, as Isaac had remembered was the case back in Sol Sanctum. Instead, fuchsia-colored energy radiated from the statue, and seconds later, the same color energy glowed in particular stones in the walls.

  
  


"Come on! If we follow the purple stones, we'll find the end of the maze!" said Lunora. 

"How do you know that?" asked Garet.

"It's the only explanation for what just happened," said Lunora simply, trying her hardest to be patient with Garet. "Now, let's go!"

  
  


They followed the glowing stones in the walls, and a few minutes later, they came to the stairway that led up to the next floor. They hurried up them, and came across another stone tablet, with yet another maze in front of it.

  
  


"Read the tablet," said Isaac to Lunora. She nodded, and approached the stone protruding out of the floor.

  
  


Congratulations on passing the first test. It was to test your abilities in general. Now is the test of Daring. Ye who wish to challenge this maze . . . must do two things before ye find the exit. Ye must find the Chimera that lurks within, and defeat it and retrieve the orb it holds. Next, return it to the Luna Statue to which it belongs. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . .

  
  


"A fight, huh?" said Garet, flexing his arms and drawing out his Giant Axe. "I've been waiting for one of these for a long time . . ."

"Are you insane?" said Lunora. "This is no gargoyle, Garet. Chimeras have three times the strength of a normal monster, and is three times as clever, seeing as it has three heads."

"We've fought little Chimeras before," said Isaac, recalling the beasts in the Venus Lighthouse. "If I remember correctly, it had a lion head, an eagle head, and a snake head, but I'm not sure."

"We can talk about it on the way!" said Mia urgently, taking Isaac's hand. "Come on, we'll decide what to do when we get there!"

"How the Hell are we going to find it though? That is the problem . . ." said Solaris distantly.

"We'll find it," said Lunora reassuringly. "It may be clever, but Chimeras are not hard to find."

  
  


They started to hurry along the maze, listening for any roars, screeches or any other unearthly sound. They also scoured the ground for any sign of a monster. 

  
  


"How much time do we have left?" asked Ivan. 

"Approximately 2 1/4 hours." responded Lunora. 

"That's it?! We've already been out of Tundris for 45 minutes?" said Mia shrilly. 

"There's nothing we can do to control time," said Solaris, when he saw that she was looking at him. He then walked up to her and whispered something in her ear. "I can take people back in time to view things, not to change things." Mia nodded in understanding.

  
  


They continued along in silence, all senses perked for any signs of noise. They didn't have to wait very long. A shrill roar was heard, not too far away from where they were standing.

  
  


"I think that's the beast we're trying to slay," said Lunora. "Isaac and Mia, take the Lion Head. Me and Ivan will get the Eagle Head. Garet and Solaris, take on the Snake Head!" 

  
  


Everyone nodded, and proceeded down the hallway they were in. After a few more dizzying turns, roundabouts, and long hallways, they ran into the Chimera. 

  
  


It was about twice as tall as Ivan, its three heads leering down at all of them. They all looked pissed off, too. The lion head opened its mouth wide . . .

"Duck!" shouted Isaac, and everyone did so, the spurt of fire that blazed overhead missing them only by inches. "Everyone, take the heads!"

  
  


But it was no luck. All of the group's time was either spent dodging the fire, lightning, and acid (depending on which head they were fighting), or launching useless attacks with their swords, which the Chimera dodged. 

  
  


"Arrgh, this is useless! Can't we use psynergy?" Garet yelled, after narrowly avoiding a spray of acid from the snake head. "They can't dodge that!" 

"Good idea," said Solaris, raising his palm. "Sunbeam!"

  
  


Instantly, greenish-yellow light began to gather at Solaris's fingertips. He spread his fingers out wide, the energy growing larger and larger. Once Solaris's fingers were covered by green energy, he thrust them forward. Narrow beams of energy struck all three heads. Two struck both the Lion Head and the Snake Head. One hit the Eagle head. The Chimera gave a shriek of pain and surprise, writhing under the relentless tide of Sol Energy that was bombarding it. Solaris shifted his hand slightly so that The Eagle head was getting two beams now, and the Snake Head only one. Eventually though, the beams dissipated.

  
  


Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia stared open-mouthed at both Solaris and the writhing Chimera. The Chimera itself was not dead, but severely weakened. Solaris, Isaac, and Ivan looked at each other, and nodded. In one movement, all three leaped forward and sliced their respective Chimera heads clean off. The Chimera body slumped over sideways, revealing an orb underneath. 

  
  


The orb was beautiful. It glittered even more brightly than the orb in Lunora's staff. There was, instead of a crescent moon, a half-moon encased inside the sparkling orb.

  
  


"C'mon," said Lunora. "Let's find that Luna statue and get this over with!"

"Wait! You've overlooked something!" said Mia. "I see a Mercury Djinn!" 

  
  


She was right. A Mercury Djinn popped out from behind one of the Chimera Heads. It looked up at Mia, sensing right away that she was the Adept of that kind.

  
  


"You have found me," said the Mercury Djinni squeakily, but kindly. "Since I waited to see if you could defeat the Chimera, and you obviously did, you have proven to me that you are worthy of me to join you."

"Was that your Chimera?" said Ivan.

"Oh, no, just a convenient little test that has nothing to do with me," said the Djinni. "I am Balm. And you are?" they all introduced themselves. "Well, Mia, I am yours to use in battle if you wish," said Balm. 

  
  


And he joined Mia. The other Mercury Djinn accepted Balm with warm welcomes, and instantly they began to strike up a conversation. 

  
  


So, they set off past the remains of the Chimera. After many twisting hallways, dead ends, and turnarounds, they found the statue. Isaac stepped forward and placed the orb in Luna's outstretched hand. The same reaction occurred in this maze as the last, black stones in the walls now pulsing with purple energy. They followed the blocks, and in a few minutes, came to the staircase.

  
  


"That's two down, two to go," said Lunora, looking out of a gap in the stone wall of the Luna Lighthouse, to see where the moon was.

"What? We have two left?!" exclaimed Garet.

"Yes, one on each floor," said Lunora. "Now, let's get into the third maze as quickly as possible!"

  
  


So, they quickly climbed the staircase, and emerged onto the next floor of the Lighthouse. They saw in front of them, the same scene that greeted them on the other two floors: stone walls with a tablet just in front of the entrance.

  
  


Congratulations on passing the Test of Daring. Now is the Test of Agility. Ye who seek to challenge this maze . . . must do two things in order to reach the exit. Ye must run like the wind. . . . Ye must survive . . . 

  
  


"God dammit, another maze?" whined Garet. "We'll never make it to the top in time!"

"Quit griping," snapped Ivan. "I'm tired as it is. What do we have now, Lunora?"

"Well, let's read the tablet," said Lunora, stepping forward.

  
  


"I have a funny feeling that this maze isn't going to be good," said Ivan sarcastically. Garet rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, guys," said Mia. "Let's go. Quickly!" 

  
  


And so they proceeded across the threshold of the maze. As usual, a stone column rose out of the ground, blocking the entrance. After walking for a minute or so, they saw that this wasn't a maze at all. It was just a bunch of winding, twisting passageways.

  
  


"Well, this isn't so bad," said Isaac. "But, that doesn't mean-"

*CLICK!*

"What the Hell-" said Solaris. He looked down, and saw that Garet had stepped on a switch.

  
  


The rest of the group looked around, trying to find something that was affected by the switch Garet stepped on. But they were scouring the wrong place. They were looking at the walls, trying to find a stone wall that rose or fell from the ground.

  
  


"Oh Jupiter," groaned Ivan. "Look at the ground behind us!"

  
  


Everyone stopped looking at the walls and looked behind them at the floor . . . only to find that there was no floor. It was falling to the floor below! And they only had ten feet of stone between them and the drop!

  
  


"Now we know why it's the Test of Agility," said Garet.

"RUN!" roared Ivan.

  
  


They did so. They ran faster than ever before. The passageways they took wound around and around, the disappearing floor like an evil monster trying to devour his way to Isaac and company. But, the 'monster' hadn't caught up with them. Yet.

  
  


"We still haven't gotten any further on!" shouted Lunora. "We can't run like this for much longer!"

"Oh good! We've turned towards the other side of the lighthouse!" said Mia breathlessly.

  
  


All this time, the disappearing floor inched closer and closer to the last person in line: Garet. He was never quite the one for speed, and he was now only five feet away from the disappearing floor's edge. He poured on the speed however, and managed to add another few inches between himself and the floor's edge. 

  
  


"It won't be long until we reach the other side!" shouted Lunora. "Just a few more minutes! Hang in there!"

"I . . . can't . . . go . . . this . . . fast . . . much . . . longer," wheezed Garet. He and Mia were starting to lag behind now. 

"These clothes are . . . too heavy . . . on me," panted Mia, bu she still managed to keep herself right behind Isaac.

  
  


Garet's leg muscles were screaming in agony from all the running. But Garet, whose teeth were gritted against the pain in his lower legs, kept going. Looking up, he saw them all turn, and the stairway just ahead of them. 

  
  


'Run!' he thought to himself. 'Just a few more seconds . . . keep going . . .'

  
  


The floor's edge was just inches away from his foot. Lunora, Ivan, and Solaris were already on the steps. Isaac cleared it next. Mia barely made it. Garet was about to jump. . .

  
  


"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!" he screamed. 

  
  


He had timed his jump too late. His foot sank with the disappearing floor, but with some feat, he threw himself forward and just barely managed to grab the bottom stair. 

  
  


Isaac rushed forward and grabbed his wrists. And, with Solaris's help, since lifting Garet was no easy task, they managed to pull Garet up. Isaac dusted him off unnecessarily.

  
  


"You okay, man?" he asked.

"Yeah. It just scared the Hell out of me, that's all," said Garet.

"It would have scared me too," said Solaris. "You up to some walking?" We've got one more floor to go."

  
  


Garet nodded, and they all climbed the stairs together. When they arrived, they found one final stone tablet, and a humongous maze looming before them. 

  
  


Congratulations on passing the Test of Agility. Now is the Final Test . . . the Test of Cunning. Ye who seek to challenge this maze . . . must do three things before ye reach the exit. Ye must pull the combination of switches to open the door to the second area of the maze. Then, ye must align the correct number of switches to open the door to the third area of the maze. There, ye must find the Staff of Luna and return it to the Luna Statue to which it belongs. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . . 

  
  


"C'mon," said Lunora. They all entered the maze.

  
  


This, by far, was the most confusing maze they had been in yet. The halls were narrow, and they ran into many dead ends. The hallways twisted and turned so that you either met a wall, or you ended up on the same path that you were five minutes ago. It was very frustrating.

  
  


"This sucks," said Garet.

"No kidding," said Ivan sarcastically. "If there was an award given for stupid and pointless comments, you'd be the only one nominated." Garet just shook his head, and didn't say anything.

"We should mark our paths," suggested Isaac. "That way, we'll know what paths we've been on."

"Great idea," said Mia. "I can leave a line of water behind us, on the paths we've traveled."

"That'd be great," said Solaris, nodding.

  
  


So, they started off again, Mia leaving a trail of water behind them on every path they took. The effects of this idea soon became apparent; they found themselves walking along passageways that they had never been through. It usually led to dead ends, but after about 15 minutes, they saw something sticking out from the wall.

  
  


"Look, what're those? I haven't seen them anywhere else," said Garet.

"They look like . . . yes, they are they're switches!" cried Lunora, sounding happy. They all rushed up to the switches. 

  
  


Getting a closer look, they saw that the switches were no more than levers in the wall, which you pulled down on. A door was in front of them. In fact, there were several doors, one in front of the other. Since Solaris was the tallest, he moved forward, and started jumping into the air, trying to see how many doors there were.

  
  


"There are four," said Solaris, panting, as he stopped jumping. 

"Well, there are five switches," said Isaac, pointing to the wall. "That probably means that one resets them all."

"Whoa!" yelped Garet, as he stumbled over something low on the ground. "It's another stone tablet!"

  
  


Ye who wishes to proceed to the next area of the maze . . . must pull the switches in the correct order. If ye pull the reset switch, the doors will reset themselves and you'll be locked in for an hour, before the doors unlock again. Since I wish to be kind to people who traverse the lighthouse, I will tell you hints.

  
  


The switch farthest to the left unlocks the 1st door.

One of the switches near the middle is the reset switch.

When ye pull a switch, it opens the door it is assigned, and closes another.

One switch opens two doors, and closes none.

Good luck . . .

Isaac immediately strode forward and pulled the first switch. He instantly heard the sound of grinding stone. He saw the door in front of him disappear into the floor, revealing a door identical to the first. 

  
  


"Okay, what switch do we pull next?" asked Mia, her face screwed up in concentration. 

"Well, it said that one of the switches near the middle is the reset switch," said Solaris slowly. "That means . . . that the middle switch is okay!" 

  
  


Solaris walked forward and pulled the middle switch. What they saw next was both satisfying and disappointing. While they saw the second door lowering itself into the floor, the first door rose up again, to block their path.

  
  


"Shit!" exclaimed Garet. The rest of the group didn't say anything; Garet had said the word that they were all thinking.

"That's okay," said Lunora. "Remember what the tablet said. When one door opens, another closes. Now, we have to decide on another switch."

"I don't remember the tablet saying anything about the switch at the other end," said Ivan, jerking out of his thoughts. "I'll pull that one."

  
  


Ivan ran forward, and pulled down hard on the right-end switch. They heard the sound of grinding stone. Solaris jumped up and down again a couple of times, and then stopped and turned to face the group.

  
  


"Door four opened, but nothing else happened," he said, looking puzzled.

"I think I know," said Lunora. "That switch was supposed to close a door that was already closed."

"That's very possible," said Isaac. "Now, comes the big decision. Which middle switch do we pull?"

"If we screw up, that's it," said Lunora, looking slightly afraid. "That'll waste a good hour, and that's over half of our remaining time."

"I think all we can do is give it our best guess," said Solaris. "Let's just try the switch on the left side of the middle one, shall we?" 

"It's your call, Solaris," said Isaac hesitantly. "Since I have no better ideas, go ahead."

  
  


And with that, Solaris walked forward once more. He stared at the switch, and sighed deeply. He stretched out his hand, and wrapped his fingers around the lever of the switch, and began to pull-

  
  


"NO!" shouted Mia. "Don't! It's the other one!" 

Solaris, who had pulled the handle down 1/4 of the way to the bottom, stopped instantly, and shoved the handle back to the place where it started.

  
  


"How do you know?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. I just know," said Mia, breathing heavily.

"Well, I see no reason why not to follow your wish," said Solaris. "Since I have no idea, and you have a hunch-"

"It's not a hunch," said Mia indignantly. "I know it. I don't know how, so I can't tell you. All I know is that I'm right."

"Okay, okay," said Solaris, putting up his hands. "I wasn't challenging your logic, Mia. However, since you're so certain, come up here and pull the lever yourself."

  
  


Mia nodded, and slowly approached the area of switches. She stretched out her hand, and grasped hold of the cool stone of the switch. Then taking a deep breath, as though she wanted to pull it before she changed her mind, she yanked as hard as she could on the switch. It clicked into place.

  
  


They heard the sound of grinding stone. The group had closed their eyes, not wanting to watch. When they opened their eyes again, they weren't disappointed.

  
  


Doors one and three were now embedded into the ground, as well as the others. 

  
  


"Yes! We did it!" shouted Garet, jumping up and down.

Mia grinned, and rushed over to Isaac. "I knew it would work!" she shouted joyously.

  
  


Isaac smiled at her, and then bent her over backwards and planted a long kiss on her lips. Mia returned it gratefully. Whether it be by coincidence, or intentionally, some of the shimmering substance that surrounded the outer walls of the lighthouse drifted over and rained down upon Isaac and Mia. 

  
  


Mia, since Isaac had slid both of his hands behind her back, lifted herself off the ground. Isaac, of course, was able to hold onto her. She clasped her legs around Isaac's waist as they kissed harder, with more hunger.

  
  


"Ohhh, that's not right!" said Garet to himself.

"So romantic," said Ivan.

"Shut it. I despise romance," said Garet, glaring at Ivan.

"No you don't. The real reason is that you're jealous of them, aren't you? You still want Jenna, don't you?" said Ivan teasingly, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"You read that, too?" said Garet, looking horrified. 

"Yup, I read and know all," said Ivan gleefully.

"You won't when I knock you out," snarled Garet. 

"I'm not going to tell anyone that doesn't already know; I just like to find things out for myself," said Ivan pleasantly. "But, if you want to embarrass them, be my guest," he added, gesturing his hand to where Isaac and Mia were kissing each other. "I'm not stopping you."

  
  


Garet remained still for a moment. After thinking, he cleared his throat loudly enough for Isaac and Mia to hear.

  
  


"Before you get too comfortable, let me remind you that we still have a schedule to keep," said Garet. "And unless you hurry, you won't be snogging anything here in an hour and a half."

  
  


This had somewhat of the effect that Garet wanted. Isaac and Mia pulled apart, looking embarrassed. Lunora glared at Garet, but it was mild. She couldn't be all mad at him, because even though he disturbed Isaac and Mia, he was right. They did have a schedule to keep. 

  
  


"Let's go then," said Isaac, sweeping past them all and not looking at Garet.

  
  


And so they continued. As soon as they stepped over the four doors, they rose once again out of the ground, and halted in place, blocking their path.

  
  


"It is to be expected now," said Lunora. "No way to get back, except to Retreat." She glanced at Isaac, who nodded. 

If it's necessary, I will Retreat us from the lighthouse if we are in danger," said Isaac. "I'm sure we'll meet up with Agatio and the others on the ground."

"Yeah, but battling them outside in that weather? How will we live?" asked Garet.

"I can't think of everything, okay?!" snapped Isaac. "Please, let's just take one problem at a time. And, the next problem is finding the next set of switches. Let's do that, as quickly as possible." 

"Yeah, and without any interruptions," added Garet loudly and irritably. Isaac glared at him, but Garet glared right back.

"Boys, please," said Lunora. "You can fight later. But we must proceed." 

  
  


And to they started to walk ahead, Mia spraying a stream of water on the floor like usual. This part of the maze was more confusing than the first part, and had it not been for Mia's water trails, they would have been lost for hours. And unfortunately, that was a quantity of time they did not have.

  
  


"Hey, look on the bright side," said Garet. "At least there aren't any monsters in here. We'd have been exhausted a long time ago."

"That's true," agreed Isaac. "We are fortunate in that."

"If ever you see a way to our right, which is toward the other side of the lighthouse, that's the way we need to go. That'll get us closer to the exit of this maze," remarked Solaris. "Because if I jump, I can see the stairway."

"You can?" said Garet, sounding happy for the first time in hours. "That must mean we're close to the exit, then!"

"Yeah, but we still have to find another switch trap and . . . what was it . . . and we have to find Luna's staff before we can go to the next floor, right?" said Ivan gloomily.

"Yes, that's what we have left to do," said Lunora, looking around a corner and shaking her head, signaling that it was a dead end. "We must go this way," she added, nodding her head in the opposite direction. "This is the only remaining path."

  
  


And so they proceeded. It was toward the other side of the lighthouse, according to Solaris, so this was good news. All the same, Mia kept the thin stream of water flowing from her index finger, to make sure they didn't get lost. 

  
  


All of a sudden, a loud "Yes!" from Garet told those in the back of the group that they had found the second set of switches.

  
  


"Damn!" shouted Isaac, coming up on the area where he heard Garet's shout. But he didn't have to wait long; Garet was fighting his way towards Isaac.

"Yeah, I was all excited at first, but I looked at the tablet, and then read what it said . . . It's a timed deal," said Garet grimly.

"I know, I read the tablet," said Isaac. "Come over here you guys, and read this tablet."

  
  


They all did so. It was a tablet like the previous one that they had read, back at the first area of switches. Only this one was rather short, compared to the last one. 

  
  


Ye who wishes to proceed to the next area of this maze . . . must do so within the time limit. Guide your platform correctly to the exit, and ye shall survive. Take too many wrong turns, and ye shall fall to the previous floor, having to restart this maze all over again. Ye will probably not survive the fall, either. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . . 

  
  


"Well, we're under a time limit anyway, how much worse can this be?" said Mia, trying in vain to sound cheerful.

  
  


Nobody said anything to this comment as they walked slowly down the passageway. After walking for about a minute, they reached their second trap. Their mouths dropped.

  
  


There was a long drop down to the previous floor, with platforms hanging in midair littered around the place. A glowing platform hovered in front of them, large enough for about 10 people to get on. There was also a large hourglass at the front, along with a long, thin lever.

  
  


The platform itself seemed to be riding on a suspended golden, glittering track, that wound around every single block to the other side. There was, however, no direct route to the other side. Which meant, by the way things looked, that they had to steer it on the most efficient route in order to make it to the other side within the time limit.

  
  


"What's that?" asked Garet, pointing to a platform off to the left. 

"What?" asked Lunora, following his finger. "Oh, my!"

  
  


Everyone looked towards that direction, and saw a glittering staff lying on the platform. If they were closer, they might have even been able to see it better, but even from a distance, they could tell it was beautiful. 

  
  


"Well, whose gonna steer this thing?" asked Isaac. 

"Well, I think we should let Lunora steer it, since this is her lighthouse," said Ivan.

"Yeah, because men have hardly any sense of direction," said Garet.

"Speak for yourself there, buddy," said Isaac, Ivan, and Solaris together, while Lunora and Mia giggled. 

"But I agree with what Ivan said," said Mia. "It would be only logical."

"Fine then, I'll steer it," sighed Lunora. "Well, are we ready?" Everyone nodded.

  
  


Everyone stepped onto the platform. As soon as they were all on, the platform lurched forward, away from the floor. The hourglass flipped over, and sand began trickling through the narrow center, falling to the lower bulb. Lunora, caught by surprise, rushed forward and grabbed the handle.

  
  


"We need to retrieve the staff! So, I'm going to steer us closer to that first, and then head for the other side!" she said nervously.

"By my estimate, we have about five minutes worth of sand in the hourglass," said Isaac, who had been staring at it ever since they got on the platform.

  
  


"That's it?" said Mia. "We have to be wise in our choices of the route we take."

  
  


All of a sudden, the platform lurched to the left. All looked over at Lunora, who had pushed the lever in the same direction. They were getting closer to the staff now. 

  
  


All cast their gaze on the path they were taking, except for Solaris. He was advising Lunora on when and when not to turn. Isaac looked at the glittering stars suspended in midair on which the platform was riding. Looking at the rear, he saw that the stars turned dark purple as the platform passed over them. 

  
  


"Turn right here, and we should hit the platform with the staff on it if you turn right again," said Solaris.

"Right," acknowledged Lunora, and she pulled the lever to the right. 

  
  


In an instant, the platform started to travel along a new trail of golden 'track', which led right, and closer to the staff. Lunora kept her eyes on the next turn she would need to make in order to get to the staff. When the platform arrived, she jerked the handle accordingly. The platform turned onto the new path. 

  
  


"We have about three minutes left," said Isaac. He continued to watch the sand, now that he was done looking around at the track. 

"Right, here we are at the staff platform," said Lunora.'

  
  


She pulled the lever back, and the platform instantly stopped. She got off, went over to the staff, and picked it up. Bringing it onto the platform, she set it down, and jerked the handle forward.

  
  


"Boy, that's really pretty," said Garet, admiring the staff. Everyone unanimously agreed.

The staff was definitely that of Luna's. It's design was so elegant, that only a Goddess such as herself could possess such a beautiful weapon.

  
  


The staff was long and silver, about 2/3 the height of Ivan. At the bottom of the staff, four legs protruded from it, so it could stand upright. At the top of the staff, a full moon was surrounded by arcs, standing out from the orb about six inches. There were five arcs themselves. They were all different colors of stone. Blue, Green, Red, Purple, and silvery-gray arcs encased the moon inside the staff, how, nobody knew. The orb was suspended in midair.

  
  


"One minute," said Isaac, sounding definitely nervous now. 

"Oh, no," said Lunora. "I haven't even got the platform going towards the other side yet!"

  
  


And so, at the next available opportunity, she pushed the lever left, and the platform jerked towards the other side of the lighthouse. When the available path halted, she turned left again, and then right as quickly as possible.

  
  


"About 20 seconds!" shouted Isaac.

"Look, there's the statue of Luna, waiting for us on the other side!" remarked Garet, pointing. There was indeed a Luna statue on the other side, right as soon as they got off.

"We're on a straight path now!" said Lunora. "We should be there anytime."

"Ten seconds!" said Isaac.

  
  


Lunora threw all of her weight on the lever, in the hopes of speeding up the platform. No luck. The platform continued on at its now seemingly slow speed.

  
  


"Five, four, three-" said Isaac.

  
  


The platform rammed into the other side of the lighthouse. Everybody jumped instantly. Garet only just made it. He jumped just before the platform vanished into thin air. Looking back, they saw it reappear on the other side, and the purple stars turn gold again.

  
  


"Damn, that was close," said Garet, panting with relief.

"You okay?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, just fine," said Garet. 

"I've got the staff here," called Ivan. 

"Please give it to me," said Lunora softly.

  
  


Ivan walked forward and handed the staff to Lunora. For being of such elegant design and power, it was extremely light. She walked forward and placed it on the Luna Statue's outstretched arms. The statue glowed with purple light as usual, but then, it did something unexpected. It began to speak.

  
  


"I thank ye for returning my staff to me. As a reward for getting this far, ye may keep the staff for as long as you wish. But, ye must give me something of your own that ye value. A fair exchange. If ye wish to stay the way ye are, that is acceptable too. Make your choice . . ."

  
  


"Wow! I'd want the staff! Take it!" encouraged Garet. 

"I want it too," said Lunora slowly. "But, what could I give Luna that is of value to me?"

"Your staff," said Isaac at once. 

"But . . . I've kept this staff for many years," said Lunora. "I don't want to give it up just like that."

"I'm sure you'll like the new one just as much, though," urged Garet. "C'mon. If it was Luna's staff, I'm sure it's no antique piece of crap you find nowadays in those places that they actually call weapon shops."

"Y'know Garet, I'm gonna have to agree with you on that one," said Isaac, nodding.

  
  


Lunora hesitated, but not for long. Taking a deep breath, she removed Luna's Staff and replaced it with her own. Instantly, the statue spoke again.

  
  


"Ye has presented me with a worthy exchange. Ye may use my staff anyway you wish. But I have one more ting to give you, as a token of proving yourselves worthy to traverse my lighthouse. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . ."

  
  


And the statue moved about a foot out form the wall, and a Luna Djinni appeared out from behind! It was quite odd to Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia. They had never seen a wild Luna Djinni before.

  
  


"My name is Mystic," said the Djinni softly, but squeakily. "Who are you?" They all told Mystic their names. "Honored. Lunora, I was assigned to aid the first Luna Adept to pass this point. And that would be you. So, I am yours to keep." And the Djinni joined with Lunora, and instantly began to get to know her other Djinn. 

  
  


And then, with a sound of grinding stone, a wall in front of them opened slowly, revealing the spiral staircase just beyond.

  
  


"Come on!" said Isaac, and they hurried forward, Lunora testing out her new staff slightly as she ran, and they all climbed the staircase to the next floor of the lighthouse.

  
  


This was a simple room, the only thing in it was a stone tablet, and a large platform, bathed in light, which was shimmering with a great quantity of the silvery substance surrounding the outer walls of the lighthouse.

  
  


"C'mon, let's read the tablet," said Solaris. "There's no more mazes to get through, it shouldn't be that bad," he added, reading the look on Garet's face. 

  
  


Everyone agreed, and they all let Lunora to the front, who was holding her beautiful staff. The light given off by the beam enveloping the platform lit up the staff faintly as well, dancing in it, and casting twinkling stars on the floor.

  
  


"Okay, let's read it," she said, stepping forward to read the tablet.

  
  


I congratulate ye for passing the four tests of the Luna Lighthouse. Since ye have proven yourself worthy of continuing to the top, I shall hold off Sol's rising for an additional ten minutes, buying ye extra time. The time remaining can be viewed with this ball I am handing ye. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . .

  
  


And underneath the words was another message, extremely short. Lunora looked at it and read:

  
  


is in

  
  


the message stopped, unfinished.

  
  


"What the Hell does that mean?" snapped Garet. "What is in what?"

"Think back, Garet," said Solaris, nodding his head. "Remember the stone tablet back at the Jupiter Lighthouse? Remember its unfinished message?"

  
  


Garet and the others thought for a moment. All of a sudden, Lunora spoke up.

  
  


"'The Sol Lighthouse'," she said simply. "Put it together, guys. The Sol lighthouse, that was the first message, and is in, that's the second message. Now we have: The Sol Lighthouse is in . . . what?"

"Yeah, I'm sure that the Mars Lighthouse's final tablet will tell us the actual location," said Isaac thoughtfully.

"Whoa, hold up!" said Garet. "Lunora, what is that?"

Because, out of thin air a silvery ball appeared. It was not a timekeeper like the sorts that Isaac was used to, but a crystal encircling a full moon. Numbers surrounded the outside of the orb, in increments of 15. Light illuminated a portion of the moon, so it looked like a particularly large slice of pie. 

  
  


"It's our time-keeper," she said excitedly. "My guess is that the segment of the moon-rock that is illuminated is out amount of time, and the numbers are the amount of minutes we have," said Lunora. "Which means . . . we have about . . . 32 minutes remaining."

"Come on!" said Ivan, gesturing to the platform with his Kikuichimonji sword. "We must hurry if we still want to rescue Jenna, Felix, and Sheba!"

"Oh that's right!" said Garet immediately, drawing out his weapon. Everyone followed his lead. 

Lunora got on the platform first. Then Isaac. Then Solaris, Mia, Ivan, and Garet followed. The platform shimmered, and they began to rise, towards the Lighthouse Aerie.

  
  


*************************

  
  


Well, this story is heating up. Everything from here on out is the best work on the story, I'll tell you that right now. 

  
  


So, considering that, review! Review, review REVIEW!!! *hears shoutingi n the background* Shut up, geckos! I can handle this myself! OWWWW! *gets torched and Ice thrown at by geckos* 


	11. Who Won the Race?

Blah blah blah, this is SirGecko speaking again blah blah blah with the 11th chpater blah blah blah for you readers blah blah blah.

  
  


Okay. Sorry, it's Monday, and I'm in a blah mood, but, why should I make you that way? So, I have the eleventh chapter, and second battle, here for your reading pleasure. 

  
  


Now, it is my good . . . and bad duty to inform you that I have just gotten out of my 2-week writer's block on chapter 19. That's the good news. The bad news is that my updates are catching up with my progress, soo we're gonna run into that wall real soon here, in probably about two weeks. Now, perhaps I can get 19 . . . and 20, for that matter, done by then. But I guess my point is that soon, I'll have to update whenever I finish a chapter, and not when I get reviews or feel like updating.

  
  


Oh, and speaking of reviews, thanks for the new ones I got. 

  
  


Now, for the bloody, legal disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, I'd be developing a third game to the two already out, and I'd be making some damn good money at it, too. Maybe it'd be from Saturos's and Menardi's point of view . . . heh. I'll have to write a fic like that someday. I know it'll never be as good as Vyctori's . . . but ah, well. Nobody says I'm trying to be the best author. ^_^

  
  


Okay, onto chapter 11, and battle number two!

  
  


***************************** 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 11: Who Won the Race?

  
  


"Weapons at the ready," warned Isaac, drawing out his Gaia Blade. "Even though we don't plan on fighting them, it doesn't mean they don't."

"I agree," said Solaris, whisking out his Sol Blade gracefully. 

  
  


Ivan already had his Kikuichimonji out and at the ready. Mia drew out her Crystal Rod, Garet swung his Giant Axe around, and Lunora held her new staff firmly at her side. By this time, with all their weapons drawn, the platform had risen out of the lighthouse and onto one of the elevators. They could all hear Karst and Agatio talking.

  
  


"They're taking too long, Agatio," said Karst in a slightly fearful voice. "I know you want to kill Solaris, but if we don't scram soon, we'll be dead, just like they will be!"

"I do want to kill Solaris," said Agatio. "But, I also want him to understand."

"What is there to understand? He'll not listen to you!" shrieked Karst. "Come on, dammit! Throw the star into the well, now!"

"No, I'm going to wait to finish them off," snarled Agatio.

"You've got your wish," spat a new voice.

  
  


Solaris was walking in front, looking around. He had a fixed, menacing expression on his face. Isaac, however was looking around the Aerie. Billowing black clouds were emanating form the Luna statues surrounding the well of the lighthouse.

  
  


"You wish to stop us from lighting the beacon?" said Alex, stepping out of the shadows. "You wish in vain. You have tried, and failed, at three lighthouses so far. What makes you think that this time will be any different?"

"We have more knowledge than you think we possess," snapped Lunora. "Light the beacon. Light it now!"

  
  


Alex tried, but failed to hide his surprise. Of all the things he expected Lunora to say, he never expected to hear this.

  
  


"Did I hear you correctly?" said Agatio. "You want us to light the beacon?" 

"Yes, you did hear us correctly," said Garet. "Now do it, before we change our minds!"

Alex smirked. "I have to admit that I underestimated your knowledge. So, for once, I will do as you wish. It is my wish, too, as you will find out, soon enough."

  
  


Alex walked forward, and drew out the Luna Elemental Star. It was grayish-silver, with twinkling light in the middle. Alex held it as far over the well as he could without falling in himself, and dropped it in. Isaac gritted his teeth as it fell, knowing he was saving hundreds of lives by making this decision, but at the same time, he felt the faintest taste of defeat on the tip of his tongue.

  
  


Instantly, the lighthouse began to shake. And then, a narrow beam of silvery energy shot up through the well. A few minutes after this, an extremely bright flash of light was seen, and then an explosion. The swirling orb of elemental energy came up through the well, pure silvery. It spiraled around like all the rest. Lunora felt a surge of power like she had never felt before. She looked at the ball Luna had given her. Twenty-five minutes left.

  
  


"Well, we are now all satisfied by what just happened," said Agatio crisply, but menacingly. "Let's be on our way. You'll have it your way, Karst. We are pressed for time. Felix! Ready the other hostages."

  
  


Felix, whom none had noticed, was standing beside one of the Luna statues. He looked over at Agatio and nodded. He went over to Jenna and Sheba, who were waiting next to the elevator on the other side of the lighthouse. 

  
  


Agatio, who had been supervising the actions of everyone, now started to move towards the elevator. But, his progress was blocked when someone held a sword to his throat.

  
  


"And just where do you think you're going?" said a voice.

"We did what you want, now let us go," said Agatio.

"Do you really think that just because we let you light this lighthouse, that we'd let you light the rest of them?" said the low, menacing voice. It was Solaris, Sol Blade at Agatio's throat, standing there without moving.

"What do you mean?" said Agatio, looking slightly nervous at the Sol Blade at his throat. He silently reached his hand to his side where his weapon was kept . . .

"We mean that we're going to stop you here and now to prevent you from lighting the other lighthouses," said Isaac, stepping forward. 

  
  


Over on the other side of the Aerie, Karst noticed that Agatio was in trouble. She couldn't make a direct attack on Isaac and his friends, though. They'd see it. But how could she help . . .

  
  


"And we're also going to take back Jenna," said Garet.

"And Felix," said Mia.

"And Sheba," added Ivan.

"You think so, huh?" said Agatio. His hand was around the hilt of his sword now. "Think again!" 

  
  


With one swift movement, he whipped out his sword. The instant he touched the hilt, the long, thin red sword burst aflame. Solaris, taken by surprise, didn't see this coming. He paid for this. Agatio brought his sword around, and sliced Solaris across the chest.

  
  


"Aaaaaaughhhhh!" he screamed. 

  
  


Blood spurted from the wound across his chest. All of a sudden, a wave of flames passed over them all, searing them. Solaris screamed particularly loud, his tender inner flesh also being seared by the heat. Karst charged forward, her scythe drawn. Isaac ran forward and engaged her in swift combat.

  
  


Lunora dragged Solaris away from the melee and placed her hand on his chest, while Mia ran forward to engage Alex, who went up to help Karst and Agatio. Lunora concentrated her healing powers on the wound, and Solaris felt it heal instantly. 

  
  


"You're getting good at that," said Solaris weakly, sitting up.

"It's the lighthouse," said Lunora softly. "It's strengthened me greatly. Are you fit to fight?" 

"You're damn right I am," snarled Solaris, who got up. 

  
  


He began to charge back to Agatio, who met him head-on. The sounds of metal on metal were heard. Soon, Garet appeared out of nowhere, and he began to swing his Giant Axe effortlessly, but Agatio was able to block both his and Solaris's attempts to kill him.

  
  


Alex was dueling with Mia. He had drawn out an extremely light, long, powerful, periwinkle blue scimitar as his weapon. She kept smashing him with her Crystal Rod, and occasionally unleashing Drown, but Alex was far too powerful to succumb to that attack. Lunora appeared suddenly by Mia's side, and began to help her fight Alex, but Lunora was no more than an extra hindrance, a pathetic attempt at defeating him.

  
  


"You have no hope against me, Mia," said Alex. "I will prevail over both of you."

"What caused you to change, Alex?" shouted Mia as she swung her Crystal Rod to deflect the blows that Alex was delivering. "Why have you become evil?"

"Evil? How could you think that? I have merely become . . . ambitious. I have great power. I told you in that letter that you would not like me when I saw you again."

"Well, you were damn right about that one," snapped Mia. "Aaggh!" 

The tip of Alex's scimitar had cut her wrist. Blood trickled down her arm and seeped into her robes, but she ignored it, and shifted her Crystal rod to the other hand. She dueled as effectively with her right hand as she did her left.

  
  


Isaac, meanwhile, was having a one-on-one sword-fight against Karst. She was an extremely powerful woman; she blocked all of the offense that Isaac threw at her. His Gaia Blade occasionally unleashed Titan Blade, which caught Karst off-guard for a second, but she leaped right back in it and engaged Isaac again.

  
  


"You will pay for my sister's death," snarled Karst as she got narrowly close to slicing off Isaac's leg. "I did not want to kill her," panted Isaac. "But she was a threat to me and my friends; I had no choice."

"Valiant of you, boy," sneered Karst. "But you will die sooner or later. And your death will be by me!"

"The only ones who will die will be you, Agatio, and Alex," said Isaac. "And unless you wish to die quicker, you will return your hostages to us!"

"You wish," screeched Karst, and her anger helped her land a critical blow on Isaac. 

"Aaggh!" he screamed.

  
  


Karst had put her scythe right through Isaac's left shoulder. Isaac's arm went limp, and his Gaia blade went crashing to the ground. Isaac, fell to the ground, clutching his right shoulder, and screaming in agony. He felt warm blood seep through his fingers.

  
  


Karst put her scythe above Isaac's head, like she was going to spear a marshmallow on a stick. With a screech that shook the air, she brought down the scythe.

  
  


A short sword appeared out of nowhere, stopping Karst's scythe two inches from Isaac's head. Isaac looked up through his tears of pain to see who had saved his life. It was Ivan. His sword, gleaming in the light of Luna, was resting horizontally in the air, held by Ivan, stopping Karst's scythe.

  
  


"Don't even try it, Karst," said Ivan. "I'll kill you for him."

"Pah! You, a little whelp like yourself? Come on, I'd like to see you even get your damn sword near me!" shot back Karst. 

  
  


She withdrew her scythe and swung it at Ivan. With some spurt of cleverness that Ivan possessed, he ducked the horizontal swipe, leveled his Kikuichimonji, and thrust it forward. This all happened in a split second. The blade went straight through Karst lower right leg.

  
  


"Aack!" she screamed. 

  
  


Collapsing to the ground, her scythe clattered away across the ground. Isaac, who was still clutching his bloody shoulder, grabbed it and set it down by his side. A small pool of blood had spread itself around Karst's pierced knee. But she did not writhe and scream, as was normal. She simply gritted her teeth and held her bloodstained leg.

  
  


"You have defeated my by a lucky chance," said Karst. "I was foolish to attack like that. I was caught up in my rage. So, kill me."

"No," said Ivan after a moment.

"What?!" hissed Karst. "You have won! You have downed me! Kill me now! I do not wish to be at the mercy of some little kid! That in itself hurts worse than death!"

"That is exactly why I'm keeping you alive," said Ivan. "I am not going to kill you. I've already mentally scarred you, and that's good enough."

  
  


And with that, Ivan strode wordlessly away from Karst, despite her shouts of rage and pain. He went over to Isaac and helped him to his feet. With one hand, Ivan supported Isaac, and with the other, he held Isaac's Gaia Blade. 

  
  


"Let me down," said Isaac. 

"Why?" said Ivan. 

"I can heal myself, remember?" said Isaac. "I'm nowhere near as good as Mia, but I can try."

  
  


Ivan nodded, and let go of Isaac. Isaac took his good hand, and concentrated his energy on the wound in his shoulder. He instantly felt the fluid-like sensation of Venus flowing through his wound, repairing most of the damage. The skin and inner tissue healed, but most of the pain still remained. 

  
  


Isaac took his sword from Ivan and put it into his bad arm. He moved it around, tried a few cuts of the air. The pain seared throughout his arm and shoulder, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

  
  


"Ivan!" he said.

"What?" Ivan asked.

"Go find Felix and the others!" said Isaac. "Make sure they're okay!" 

  
  


Ivan nodded, and he disappeared to the other side of the Aerie, ane went down the stairs. Isaac made his way to the steps on the other side, and sat down, massaging his injured shoulder.

  
  


"Mia, you have no chance against me," said Alex. "And neither do you, Lunora."

"Well, we may not, but we're not going to go down just because you say we are!" shouted Lunora, swinging her new staff wildly, blocking Alex's scimitar from piercing her chest.

"I feel faint," said Mia, all of a sudden. She slumped to the ground, and moved no more.

"It was the blood loss," said Lunora to herself. "I do hope she'll be alright. I'd heal her now, but I can't, or I'll die."

"You'll die anyway, Lunora!" said Alex triumphantly.

"No, I won't! Said Lunora. "I have to live! I just have to!" 

  
  


And then, her staff began to glow. The arcs lit up, the blue one first. Lunora, to her great surprise, saw some trickling Mercury energy flow out of Mia and into the Arc. Isaac felt a little bit of his strength leave him as Venus energy stemmed out of his body and into the yellow arc. The same happed with Ivan (whose energy flowed into the purple arc), and Garet (whose energy flowed into the red arc), and finally, Lunora herself, whose energy flowed into the gray arc. The energy seeped into the arcs, and then the energy began to flow into the central full-moon orb. The more energy that went into the orb, the brighter it got. And the, the weapon unleashed.

  
  


Five beams of energy: blue, yellow, red, purple, and silver, shot out of the full moon-orb and straight into Alex. Alex reeled; his scimitar flew out of his hands. For a moment, the weapon disappeared into the generated clouds, and then reappeared, and clattered away across the stone floor. 

  
  


Alex swayed on the spot, bombarded by the combination of five elements against him. They were all pointed at his heart, and Alex looked like he was having trouble breathing. Then, the beams dissipated, one by one, beginning with Mercury, followed by Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and finally, Luna. Alex crumpled to the floor, motionless.

  
  


Isaac rushed over to Mia and Lunora, and cast Revive on Mia, to wake her up. He then cast Potent Cure on the wound on her wrist. She looked up at him and smiled.

  
  


"Thank you," she breathed.

"Well, it's only temporary," said Isaac. "I'm sure you could heal yourself better than I can, but that was a nasty cut."

"I feel fine," smiled Mia. "What about your shoulder?"

"It still hurts like Hell, but I don't think I'll suffer any lasting damage," said Isaac reassuringly. "I'm drained on energy though. I doubt I could even lift my sword, let alone cast any more Psynergy."

"Maybe this will help," said Mia, and she lowered her head to Isaac's shoulder, and gave it a long, passionate kiss.

  
  


Isaac bent his head down against her neck, and took some of her skin into his mouth, and began to suck on it, to which Mia groaned slightly. She then put her hand on the side of Isaac's face. He wrapped his arms around Mia's waist as he swirled his tongue around Mia's soft skin. 'I'm lucky Garet isn't seeing this,' he thought. 'He looks pretty busy himself.'

  
  


Garet was busy, but not romantically. He, along with Solaris, was fighting for his life as Agatio dueled with them so viciously, that they could hardly see his sword. 

  
  


"Garet, I feel pathetic," said Solaris as he whirled his sword around equally fast and gracefully as Agatio. "I have assistance in fighting this guy, and I still can't beat him!"

"That's right, you and your little axe-swinging friend can't beat me," cheered Agatio as he dodged a blow from Garet effortlessly. "I am too great! The best in Prox!"

"Isn't that nice," said Garet slowly and very sarcastically.

"It is," said Agatio, and with one swift move, he brought his sword through Garet's defense and sliced his hip open. 

  
  


"Auuuughhhh! Mars! Oh, Mars, it hurts!"

  
  


Bare white bone could be seen between the squirts of blood that spattered to the ground. He was writhing and twisting in pain. It felt like a white-hot poker had been pressed to his side, one that was electrically charged.

  
  


"H . . . here, Solaris," he said. "Take my Axe. Finish that bastard off, for me!"

  
  


Garet threw his Giant Axe into the air, and Solaris caught it one-handed. Solaris noticed that it was rather heavy, which showed Garet's strength in wielding heavy weapons. This balanced Solaris out though, he had an almost even amount of weight in both hands. He began to duel again.

  
  


Between the throbbing pain and the blood on his hands and side, Garet saw that Solaris was truly one of a kind. He jumped around, dodging everything that Agatio threw at him. The sword and axe that he now used whirled around him, like a constant deadly shield. He didn't know how Solaris could get so strong as to wield 35 pounds of combined metal. But he did. 

  
  


Garet wasn't disappointed. After a few minutes, Agatio wore down, and Solaris was able to land a blow across Agatio's right arm. Agatio grunted in pain, and clutched his arm, allowing his weapon to clatter to the ground.

  
  


Agatio leapt for his sword with his other arm, but Solaris was too fast for him. He kicked it away, straight to Mia and Isaac, who were still not finished with their . . . uh . . . charges. Isaac looked up, licking Mia's neck as he went. 

  
  


"Look, it's Agatio's sword," said Isaac. 

Mia looked up from where she was sucking on Isaac's wound. "What happened, I wonder?" she said in a hushed voice. 

Isaac stood up. "Come on! Garet is in trouble!"

"Oh!" said Mia, and she stood up, and ran to Garet's side. "Where did you get hurt?" she asked.

  
  


The pain was too much for Garet even to speak. So, he simply pointed one of his bloody fingers to the deep gash in his side.

  
  


"Right," said Mia. 

  
  


She closed her eyes, and rested her hand very gingerly on Garet's wound. Drawing out the powers form her clan, she felt the energy seep into Garet's cut and start mending the broken tissue and the dented bone. Within seconds, the wound was completely healed. 

  
  


"Thanks, Mia," said Garet.

"It's what I'm for," said Mia, helping Garet gingerly to his feet. 

He turned his attention to Agatio and Solaris. "So, are you going to kill him or not, Solaris?" 

"I've been thinking about it," said Solaris thoughtfully. "Half of me wants to, to avenge my brother's death. But the bigger half enjoys our confrontations," he added. He turned to Agatio. "You realize that we could have easily killed all three of you tonight," he started. Lunora had just walked over. "We have seven minutes left, Solaris," she said tentatively. "Make this quick." 

  
  


She looked around. The clouds were starting to dissipate, now that the lighthouse beacon had finally been lit.

  
  


"But I think I will let you live, Agatio. You may battle us the next time we meet as you wish. But, you must do two things before we let you go."

"What?" said Agatio disdainfully. Karst had crawled next to Agatio. 

"First, you must accept your defeat," said Solaris, arms folded.

"We already have done that!" spat Karst. "You fools, who wallow in self-triumph!"

"The second thing you must do, is you'll free Felix, Jenna, and Sheba," said Solaris, ignoring Karst's outburst.

"What?" said Agatio. "No we won't."

  
  


Solaris shrugged his shoulders, and pulled his Sol Blade from its scabbard. He held the tip to Agatio's Adam's Apple.

  
  


"How about now?" said Solaris.

"No," repeated Agatio.

  
  


Solaris sighed, and then inched his Sol Blade further forward. A solitary drop of blood oozed form the tiny pinprick that the blade had made in Agatio's neck.

  
  


"Now?" asked Solaris.

"Fine! We'll give you the hostages!" shrieked Karst.

"Good," said Solaris, taking back the Sol Blade and sheathing it. "Go get them!" 

  
  


Karst nodded, and amazingly stood up on her one good leg. She hopped over to the other side of the aerie and called.

  
  


"Felix! Get over here, and bring the girls too!" she snapped.

  
  


Soon, Felix emerged from the stairway on the other side of the lighthouse. Isaac noticed with a twinge of horror that a red line had appeared on the horizon . . .

  
  


"Yes, Karst?" said Felix.

"You're fee to go," said Karst, looking like each word pained her to say it.

"I'm not sure I heard you correctly . . . are you saying that me, Jenna, and Sheba can leave?" said Felix in disbelief.

"Are you deaf?" snapped Karst. "That's what I said."

"But why?" piped up Sheba.

"Don't ask why!" shrieked Karst. "Just go! Now!" 

"Isaac and his friends are there!" said Jenna. "Did they defeat you Karst?"

"You're smarter than you look," said Karst. "Take it as a compliment. Now, leave!"

"No," said Felix. "I will not leave."

"What?!" shouted Garet. "We beat them . . . Karst, Agatio, and Alex! We defeated them, and now you wish to turn down our second offer of freedom? What the Hell is wrong with you?"

"There's a destiny I have to fulfill, and I can only do that by traveling with Karst, not you or Isaac," replied Felix softly. "You're wasting time up here. You only have . . ." 

  
  


And to Isaac's group's great surprise, he pulled out an orb just like the one Lunora had to check the time. 

  
  


"Two and a half minutes," he finished. "Now go. I don't want you to die."

"Then let Jenna go!" said Garet. 

"And Sheba!" added Isaac. 

"Of course, I will leave that decision up to them," said Felix. "You're both welcome to go with them," he said to Sheba and Jenna. "I won't object."

"Well . . ." said Jenna and Sheba together.

"Hurry up!" urged Isaac. "We want you to come with us, but we don't have much time!"

"No, we need more time to decide than what we have right now," said Jenna. "So, for now, we're gonna stay with Felix."

"Jenna! Wha . . . why?" said Garet, looking hurt.

"I'm sorry Garet, I truly am," said Jenna who sounded close to tears. "Maybe at the next lighthouse."

"We only have a minute!" said Lunora. "Come on, Isaac, get us out of here! We need to Retreat, now!"

"Lunora, I can't!" said Isaac, sounding horrified. "All the fighting has drained me of my power!"

"Than, this is it," said Solaris. "We will not survive the fall. We are done."

"No!" shouted Ivan. "We can't be! Isaac, you've gotta pull something off! You always have in the past!"

"That was the past, Ivan!" said Isaac, sounding truly scared now. "I can't do anything about it! I've already tried!"

"Ten-nine-eight-seven-six-" said Lunora quite calmly.

"Goodbye, everybody!" said Isaac. "It has been a pleasure traveling with you."

  
  


Already, the lighthouse was starting to rumble. Garet, since he was closest to the edge, looked down, and saw that the bottom half of the lighthouse had already disappeared.

  
  


"Goodbye, Isaac!" said Mia, who was clasping his hand so tightly that it cut off all the circulation. But that didn't matter now. Not with death mere seconds away. And still, Karst and her travelers had not disappeared yet . . .

  
  


"Three-two-one-" said Lunora, her voice rising steadily.

  
  


"AAAAAUUUUUUGHHHHHHHH!"

  
  


***************************

  
  


Out of time . . . and at the end of their life? Who knows . . . besides me! Bwahahahahaha! ^_-

  
  


Anyway, review, now! Make it snappy! My geckos will be pretty pissed at you if you don't. So please review.


	12. Not Over Yet

Hey! I'm back with the much-awaited chapter 12, by the sounds of it. I'm glad you all took note of that cliffhanger *evil laugh*. But seriously, this chapter is gonna be good. 

  
  


Thanks to all the reviewers who left reviews of the 11th chapter. I wasn't expecting even three, let alone six. I hope to see six or more reviews on this chapter in the next few days! And once again, thanks to all the reviewers.

  
  


Now, even though it's so early in the morning and I"m in a good modd, I still remembered to to that constantly annoying disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did . . . well, I'd probably be in Japan right now, developing a third game.

  
  


Now, enough of this chit-chat. On with chapter 12!

  
  
  
  


Chapter 11: Not Over Yet

  
  


Isaac opened his eyes, and looked around him. There was Sol, painting the cloudy sky blood-red as it rose above Gaia Falls. He was wondering all the while.

  
  


'This looks like the ground next to the Luna Lighthouse,' he thought. 'And there's everybody else too . . . am I in heaven?'

  
  


"Isaac? You okay?" cam Garet's voice, but to Isaac, it felt as though Garet was talking from a mile away.

"What? Where are we?" called Isaac, and still, the voices sounded distant, as though through water.

"Snap out of it, man!" said Garet, sounding exasperated. "We're okay! We're at the base of the Luna Lighthouse!"

  
  


With those few words, it was like Isaac had woken up all over again. He was sure that they were all in heaven . . . dead as a doornail on Weyard. But, from what Garet said . . . they were still alive? 

  
  


"How can that be?" said Isaac. The voices sounded much clearer now. 

"We were saved by someone!" said Ivan happily. "We're all okay!" 

"I know who," said Isaac as soon as he had totally figured out what Ivan had said. The voices sounded entirely normal now. "Felix."

"What?" said Garet in disbelief. "Felix saved us?"

"Yeah, he did," piped up Solaris. "He's the only other Venus Adept around, and I know you didn't retreat us from the lighthouse."

"We're not blaming you for that Isaac, of course," said Mia reassuringly. "But, I agree with Solaris. It had to have been Felix."

"Well, we can ask him about it the next time we meet him," said Solaris. "But, look around you. What seems different to you?"

  
  


The group looked around. The first thing they noticed was that the Luna Lighthouse was not there at all. But what they noticed most was that the accumulated snow fifty feet away from them was already melting. It wasn't freezing cold out anymore. It was cold, that was true, but not dangerously cold. The temperature had to be about 25 degrees.

  
  


The next thing they noticed was that there was no piercing wind. There wasn't even a breeze. And things looked much more cheerful and inviting than on their way here. The snow was practically calling for them to have a snowball fight.

  
  


Garet had noticed this too. "Hey, who wants to get wet and cold?"

"I've had enough of that for a while," responded Lunora, smiling. Then, she screamed when she was nailed in the side of the head by a snowball. It was thrown by Ivan. "Why you little . . ." she said, but not in a threatening voice. It was more playful than anything else. 

"Oh, come on, Lunora, it's all fun and games!" shouted Ivan happily. "Think fast Garet!" and before Garet knew what hit him, he had caught a snowball in the chest. 

"Oh, you asked for it now!" shouted Garet, and he scooped up a handful of snow, and chucked it as hard as he could at Ivan, who was laughing like a maniac. 

  
  


It hit Ivan in his side. Now, you have to remember that Garet was pretty strong, even when he wasn't trying to be. So, you can imagine what would happen if Garet threw something as hard as he could. Yep, Ivan fell over from the force of the impact.

  
  


"Truce! Truce!" shouted Ivan, laughing.

"Oh. That's not how it works, buddy!" shouted Solaris, hurling a snowball at Ivan, too.

"This is going to be very entertaining," said Isaac to Mia. She giggled.

"Yeah, I'd be too dangerous for all of you," said Mia. "I'd cream all of you."

"I don't know, sweetie," said Isaac, kissing her on the neck. "Lunora grew up in an environment like yours all her life, too. And so has Solaris."

"Well, then I'll just have to prove I'm the best," said Mia, scooping up two handfuls of snow. She hurled them at Solaris and Lunora. They hit dead center.

"Damn, you do have a good eye!" shouted Solaris. "But so do I!" He threw a snowball at Mia, but she dodged it gracefully. 

"I think I'll stay out of it," said Isaac. Then, he got nailed by two snowballs, both thrown by Garet. "Hell no, you wont!" he shouted. "If we fight, then you're gonna fight too!" 

"Gaah! Okay, fine!" said Isaac, scooping up some snow. It was lucky he ducked because a snowball, thrown by Ivan, sailed inches above his head.

  
  


This continued for quite some time. The Adepts finally had time to have a little bit of fun before they had to hike back through the mountains to get to the ship. Mia was definitely the best snowball fighter; all but one of her snowballs hit the targets she was aiming for, except for the one time Garet got in the way of the one she threw at Isaac, and it hit Garet in the back.

  
  


*******

  
  


"Well, now that we're all freezing and soaking wet, let's head back to Tundris, shall we?" said Lunora, snow in her hair.

"I'm all for that one," said Isaac, a bit of snow sliding down his cheek.

"Man, you two are no fun," said Mia, but she agreed in the end. The only snow she had on her was some on the back of her neck, where Isaac had snuck up behind her and stuffed a handful of snow down her robes.

  
  


So, they all began to hike back to Tundris, which was in view even from the lighthouse base. The walk took considerably less time, since there was no wind to slow them down. They all carried the wool blankets under their arms, except for Garet, who threw his over his head.

  
  


"Wimp," said Isaac and Ivan.

"Shaddup," said Garet. "We'll be seeing who's the wimp when we head to the Mars Lighthouse."

"Ohh, he burned you there," chimed in Solaris, chuckling at the defeated looks on Isaac's and Ivan's faces.

  
  


Tundris came into a closer view as they continued to walk. Entering the southern town gate, they saw Sagan running towards them.

  
  


"It has been lit! It has been lit!" she shouted gleefully. "We're saved! Who lit it?"

"Well, we didn't," said Lunora. "The traveling group did. We ordered them to, not like they wouldn't have anyway."

"What happened then?" asked Sagan, breathless.

"I think it best if we went inside," said Isaac. "That way, we can sit down and tell you all about it."

  
  


*******

  
  


A few hours later, everyone found themselves seated around a large table in front of the fireplace at Sagan's inn, mugs of strong Tundris Extreme coffee steaming in front of them all. Everyone had told her all about their travels, and about Karst, Agatio, and Alex. Isaac and Garet enlightened Sagan on the issues surrounding Felix and Jenna's involvement with them, and Mia told her all she knew about Sheba. Sagan was amazed at what she heard. 

  
  


Solaris and Lunora also listened about the events with Saturos and Menardi that had happened up until the Venus Lighthouse. They also found this to be very amazing.

  
  


"You guys seem to be well-traveled indeed," commented Sagan. "From the sound of it, things have been very difficult for you."

"Well, it hasn't been all get-tired-and-beat-up," said Garet wisely. "We've had our good times in between. Like watching Isaac here in Colosso, that was amazing!"

"Yes it was," agreed Mia, putting her arm around Isaac.

"Well, I don't mean to hold you guys up any longer," said Sagan, standing up. Everyone else followed her. 

"It was good seeing an old friend after all these years," said Sagan, hugging Lunora. "And all of these travelers you have with you, too," she added, shaking everyone's hand. 

"It was nice meeting you," said Isaac.

"Yeah, it was," chimed in everyone else. Sagan beamed at all of them.

"The pleasure is all mine," said Sagan. "Please, be safe. I want to see you all when you are finished with your travels."

"You can count on it," agreed Ivan.

"Yeah, we've already made promises like yours to others, so we'll swing by on another trip through Weyard," said Garet, nodding.

"Well, that's good. I'll be looking forw-"

  
  


The door suddenly banged open, and a man and a woman entered the inn. Both looked quite young, and were both tall. They were staring at Isaac's group with furious stares. 

  
  


Isaac looked around to the rest of his group and Sagan, but they looked either expressionless or utterly confused. But that was quite the contrary when Isaac saw Lunora's and Sagan's faces. Surprise and raw anger were flushed into Lunora's silvery face. She stared at the two people with cold, silvery eyes, her lips tight. Sagan looked angry, frightened, and determined all at the same time. By the looks on their faces, Isaac's group could pretty well guess who the people were.

  
  


"Hello, mom and dad," she said icily.

"Oh, no," said Garet. "This can't be good."

"Lunora, what do you think you're doing?" said the woman just as icily.

"Saving your town," said Lunora. "Like you were too arrogant to help do yourself."

"How dare you talk to me that way!" said the woman angrily. "We are your parents, after all!" 

"No, you're not!" shouted Lunora. "You're just the assholes who called yourselves my parents! Didn't even give a damn about me, did you?"

"We cared about you more than you could ever imagine," said the man. "Why else did you think we'd let you become the Guardian of the Luna Lighthouse?"

"So you'd look better among the townsfolk!" shouted Lunora instantly. "I heard you gloating about it! 'My daughter's finally learned her place.' Well, now I have, and it's away from you!" 

"Can you imagine how hurtful you are being right now?" said the man.

"Look who's talking!" screamed Lunora, spit flying from her mouth in all directions. "Banishing me from this town, because I made you look bad! I tarnished your reputation, so I had to go! Well, I guess I know where I rank in the scheme of things, huh? Try and weasel your way out of that one!" 

  
  


Her parents said nothing for awhile. Both looked shocked at how rebellious and angry their daughter could be. Lunora stood there, her hands balled into fists, her face red, anger radiating form her in waves of heat that could be felt by everyone.

  
  


"Now, if you'll move out of my way, I will leave your sight," said Lunora. "Wouldn't want your reputations to be ruined even more by my presence, now would we?"

"Are these people yours?" said the woman.

"I travel with them, yes," said Lunora.

"And why have they helped you light the lighthouse? Are they just like you? Arrogant, only caring about themselves?"

"Ohh, I'm getting tired of her talking about us like this," said Mia angrily. "As if we're wrong for trying to save her town."

"Did you hear that, mom? Speak up, Mia," said Lunora.

"What? No, I didn't . . ." said Mia, looking horrified.

"No, I don't mind at all," said Lunora quite kindly. "I'm glad you support me."

"Well, of course she supports you!" said the man. "You've convinced her to your side of the story!"

"Do you even know?" said Isaac suddenly. Everyone spun around to look at him, quite shocked. He usually stayed out of things like this. "We are trying to stop the lighting of all the lighthouses."

"Well, you didn't bother to stop this one, did you?" said the woman. 

"No, because Tundris would have frozen to death if we hadn't," said Ivan. "Did you want all of your friends and family to die?"

"That's all untrue," said the woman.

"It is not untrue! The truth is staring into your ignorant faces!" screeched Lunora. "Mercury! Venus! Jupiter! Three of the Common Elemental Lighthouses were lit, but none of the two Forgotten Elements! Luna was angry because she remained dark, while the Common elements blazed! So, she conjured up a storm to tell us that she wanted to glow, too!" 

"That is not accurate," persisted the man. "Luna Lighthouse is a monument, not an elemental symbol."

"You're both ignorant fools," raged Lunora. "Don't want to see anything beyond their own reputations . . . what they want to believe . . . I feel sorry for this town."

"I command you to leave at once!" shouted the woman angrily.

"You can't command me to do ANYTHING!" roared Lunora. "I will never listen to another one of your . . . pointless . . . outrageous . . . idiotic commands! You are scum on my boot, that's what you are! And if I didn't have a bunch of people here with me, I'd probably kill both of you! And then I'd spit of your dead bodies!"

  
  


Everyone was staring at Lunora, open-mouthed at the amount of rage a beautiful woman like her could carry. A vein was throbbing in her temple. Her face was purple. Here fists were white. And she was screaming at the top of her lungs at her parents.

  
  


"In fact, if I didn't have further business outside of this town to attend to, I'd stay here just to piss both of you off!" added Lunora.

"We would have Luna on our side in a fight against you!" shouted the man. "You would not win!"

"Oh, you honestly think you'd beat me? Not when I have Luna's own staff, you wouldn't." Lunora countered.

  
  


Lunora's parents gasped as she whipped out the staff she had retrieved in the Luna Lighthouse. She advanced on her parents with it.

  
  


"Now . . . do as I say, and I promise I won't hurt you," breathed Lunora. Her parents nodded nervously. "When I leave this town, you will not mention to anybody that I was here, and you won't send anyone who still breathes after me and my companions. And you will not come after us yourselves, if you were wise, as you'd be soundly defeated." Her parents nodded. 

"Good. Secondly, you will not banish anyone form this town who is a friend of or is on speaking terms with me." They nodded again.

"And if I find out that you have done any of those two things, you will most certainly regret it. Is that in any way unclear?" Her parents shook her head.

"And finally," said Lunora, smirking evilly. "You will get . . . the . . . Hell . . . out . . . of . . . my . . way!" she shouted. 

  
  


Her parents nodded, and stepped swiftly out of the door, and took off down one of the snowy streets. Lunora exhaled deeply, and set her staff down upright by her side. Clapping could soon be heard. It came form Garet.

  
  


"Way to tell 'em, Lunora!" he said.

Ivan grinned at her. "I like the way you take charge," he said. "Way to make 'em see sense . . . well, as much as they would allow themselves to see, anyway."

Lunora grinned and blushed at this. "Well, it's about time somebody told them."

"You said it!" chimed in Sagan. "They've been after me ever since they found out you were here, bombarding me with questions: 'Where are they at? Why are they here? What else do you know?' They wouldn't shut up, but I refused to tell them anything. Since you made them promise that they wouldn't banish anyone from town who was a friend of yours, I think you saved me, Lunora. Thank you."

"No problem," said Lunora. "Believe me, I have my ways of finding out what goes on here."

"I don't mean to sound rude, but we must be going," said Isaac. "I don't know how much further on Karst and Agatio are."

"Of course, of course," agreed Sagan. "Good luck."

"Thanks," said everyone, and with a final wave, they walked out the door.

  
  


*******

  
  


"Well, we've begun our long trip back to the ship," said Ivan. "Hopefully, it won't take as long as before."

  
  


The group was finally out of town, taking the same route they took before back to the ship. They had just stepped out of the town gates, and they were now walking through the still large amount of snow. Luckily for them, they did not need to use the blankets anymore, as it was considerably warmer than before.

  
  


"It won't, trust me," said Lunora. Now that we don't have a wind and fierce cold, we can make steadier progress. I think we should reach the ship in no more than a few hours time."

"It sounds like forever," said Garet, who had finally abandoned the use of his blanket. 

"It does," agreed Isaac. "But we'll be there before we know it."

"Yeah, we should hit the cave entrance in about ten minutes," said Solaris, looking at the surroundings to determine this. 

"Are you sure we're going to be able to find it?" asked Mia hesitantly. "I mean, It'd probably buried in snow."

"That's true," said Lunora. "But I'll know. Like I said before, I know this terrain like the back of my hand. Don't you worry," said Lunora, smiling at the skeptical look on Mia's face. "I won't get us lost."

  
  


So, they continued to walk, all the while thinking about their walk on the way here about four hours ago, seeming like is was on a different world. The weather was so pleasant compared to that time, it just didn't seem possible that any of the storm could have happened.

  
  


The snow was knee-deep on them, but still, that was less than what it was when they were walking to Tundris. The know had been waist-deep then. And the further north they went, the less snow they encountered. For example, at one point, the snow was at their ankles.

  
  


The walk was slow and boring. Everyone was finally starting to feel the effects of tiredness, for they had gone without sleep for nearly seven hours, while all the time, succumbing to stress and a great deal of running. It was hard enough just for them to keep their eyes open, let alone trudge through knee-deep snow.

  
  


"Hey, isn't this the cave entrance?" asked Solaris, pointing ahead.

"Yep, that's it! See where the snow is piled all around that particular area? That's the snow that the Djinn blew out!" said Isaac, pointing at a large mound of disturbed snow. 

"You're right!" said Ivan. "Come on, guys! There's no hurry, so we can dig it out ourselves!"

  
  


And so they got down on their hands and knees, and, like dogs, began to shovel away the snow blocking the entrance. It was tough work with all of the armor and clothes on, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. After about 20 minutes of digging, they had finally dug out a hole large enough fro them to fit through.

  
  


They crawled through the opening one by one, and without a word, began to walk down the path that they had taken last time. It was colder in here than outside, because the stone walls insulated the cold. However, a very significant difference was in place as well. The whole passage was overrun with monsters.

  
  


"What the . . ." said Isaac, whisking out his Gaia Blade as three Gargoyles approached him. With a graceful touch, he managed to slay all three gargoyles in a matter of seconds.

  
  


The rest of the group had their own monsters to attend to as well. Since they had experience in slaying gargoyles before, they didn't have much difficulty in ridding themselves of their foes. But more appeared after that. Isaac decided to break out some Psynergy.

  
  


"Grand Gaia!" he shouted. And, his usual column of humongous rocks shot out of the ground, slamming themselves in the undersides of the gargoyles. The gargoyles, wings bent and blood dripping out of their undersides, they collapsed on the ground, not moving. 

  
  


The remaining gargoyles, possessing at least common sense, backed away into the shadows when Isaac raised his palm yet again to cast another Grand Gaia or some equally deadly Psynergy. When the gargoyles left, he gestured for the others to come forward.

  
  


"You're a very powerful Venus adept there, Isaac," commented Solaris. "Not many Venus adepts could beat a monster of their opposing element with one blow." Isaac nodded in recognition. 

  
  


They continued on for some time after this down the passage. They met a few tree-monsters along the way, but Garet easily dispatched them with a Pyroclasm or an Inferno. So, it wasn't long before they came up to the camp where they had stayed before they had left for the lighthouse.

  
  


"It's been rampaged," said Solaris, looking at the ruined camp and scattered fire ashes. "The monsters must have been pissed off because we invaded their space."

"Why are there so many of them now, and not before we got to the lighthouse?" asked Ivan, waving his sword in the air slightly.

"They were probably hiding away because of the cold, and now that it's been warmer, they can come out again," reasoned Isaac.

"That's probably it," said Lunora. "Now, let's not reminisce. Time to move on!" 

  
  


And so they proceeded through the camp. After walking the opposite side of the cave for some time, they reached the other side, which was blocked by a snowdrift. Garet stepped forward and fired a few fireballs at the drift, melting enough so that they could get out.

  
  


"Okay, let's move! The sooner we can get warm, the better!" said Garet, scrambling through the small hole he made in the snow. Isaac shook his head as Garet slipped and fell in his eagerness to get out of the cave.

  
  


After everyone exited from the cave, they started to walk along the base of the mountains in the same direction they came. Their footprints in the snow had been covered up by the rapidly falling snow before the lighthouse was lit. 

  
  


"Man, I am sooooo tired," said Ivan, panting as he trudged through the knee-deep snow.

"Join the club," said Mia. "I mean, this weather doesn't bother me at all, it's just the fact that we have been traveling by foot for about ten hours." 

"Speak for yourself there, Mia," said Garet, who had his arms folded and was shivering.

"Quit whining," said Solaris. "It's not that bad. We should be at the ship soon."

"We will," said Lunora. "I see it."

"Where?" said everyone else. Lunora pointed to her right, and sure enough, a brown speck just on the blue landscape, which was the ocean, was visible.

  
  


Everyone cheered, and quickened their pace. Now that they could see the ship, they just headed for it, instead of following the base of the mountains like they did before, since they had limited visibility. Within half an hour they were at the ship.

  
  


"At last!" said Ivan as he got to the base of the ship.

"Welcome home, guys!" said Isaac happily. He led the group up the plank. They were all happier than they had been in hours. But they had some work to do before they could set off again.

  
  


The first thing that they did was to rid the foot of snow that had accumulated on the outer surfaces of the ship. Garet called upon Torch to cast his hot air all over the ship. This melted all of the snow, which washed over the side of the ship. 

Isaac and the others then scoured the ship for any signs of damage. All they found were a few weak spots in the hull which Isaac patched up with ease using some Psynergy. There was also some water below-deck that Torch took care of as well. He and everybody else then regrouped on deck.

  
  


"Let's get this thing going!" said Isaac. 

  
  


Setting the Black Orb on its pedestal at the front of the ship, he guided it away from the beach. He put Tundaria to the udder, and turned the nose of the ship towards Magma Rock and the Mars Lighthouse.

  
  


*************************

  
  


Not much of a cliffhanger there, but it was necessary to cut off there, unless you want a 20-page chapter. 

  
  


Besides, chapter 13 is the third-longest, and one of my best. But you're not getting it if you don't review! The geckos have the 13th chapter, and they will only allow me to post if you review! 

  
  


For yours and my sake, I'd love to post the 13th chapter. So review. 


	13. Escort for Fire

Fe fi fo fum . . . yeah, It's me, SirGecko., back with number 13. The third-longest chapter in my story. 

  
  


Thanks to all the reviewers. I'm really happy for all your encouraging support. Oh, by the way, Great Sayiaman (sorry if I did not spell your screen name right), this chapter is for you.

  
  


Now, I've gotta do that good 'ol disclaimer I'm being sarcastic, can't you tell?). Okay, here it is. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, I probably wouldn't be living in Washington State, now would I?

  
  


Okay then. Onto chatper 13! 

  
  


Chapter 13: Escort for Fire

  
  


Isaac and the others sat against the railing of the deck, enjoying the pleasant sunlight that was bathing them now that they were further north. Isaac sat next to Mia of course, his arm around her shoulder.

  
  


It was the next day, and they were just relaxing after a long night of catching up on their sleep, since they were all dead-tired. This morning, they had had a huge breakfast to make up for the fact of not eating anything the previous day.

  
  


Earlier, Isaac and the others got to look at some of the landscape they passed. Some of the coastal settlements had flood damage and trees were scattered from winds, but other than that, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. 

  
  


"Ahh, it's good to have normal temperatures again," sighed Solaris, stretching lazily.

"I'll agree with that one," said Ivan, positioning himself so that he was lying face-down on the deck. "How long do you think it'll be before we reach the Mars Lighthouse?" asked Garet, in a somewhat whining voice.

"Well, the Mars Lighthouse rests on a lava plateau in the middle of Gondowan," said Lunora. "I remember passing it on our travels before we met up with you guys."

"When she says lava plateau, she means it," chimed in Solaris. "There are rivers and lakes of lava still on the surface. It's gonna be tough going. You're gonna wish you were right back in Tundris when we get there."

"Oh, I don't know about that," said Mia. "I thought that weather was pretty enjoyable."

"You're speaking for yourself there, right?" asked Ivan. "I thought it was a cold version of Hell."

"It wasn't so bad after we lit the lighthouse," said Isaac. "I haven't enjoyed that kind of weather for a long time."

"Man, what are we supposed to do for . . . oh, dammit. How long will it take to reach Gondowan?" asked Garet.

"We'll be there in another few hours," said Ivan promptly. "Then, it'll be another day's travel up the river, until we get to the Mars Lighthouse."

"So basically, we have a day and a half until we get to the lighthouse?" asked Lunora, her chin resting on her hands.

"Not exactly," said Isaac. "We have a huge forest to get through first. Once we get to the other side, we'll be able to see the lighthouse and the lava plateau."

"That doesn't sound too bad," said Mia. "Both of the forests we went to weren't so bad . . . except for Mogall Forest, when Ivan and Garet got lost."

"I wonder whose fault that was," said Isaac sarcastically.

"What? What happened, Ivan?" asked Lunora, interested.

"Well, not much. Garet hit the wrong stump with Force, and we got lost down a wrong passage. It only took us a couple of hours to sort out the problem, though."

"I see," said Lunora.

  
  


Everyone said nothing for a long time. They just listened to the seagulls calling overhead, and felling the ocean spray that misted them when they hit a high, choppy wave. Isaac then got up and stretched.

  
  


"I'm gonna go and get some rest," he said, yawning. "I'll see you all later."

"That's a good idea. I'll do that too," agreed Solaris, getting up, and striding for the door that led belowdecks.

"I'll stay up here," said Lunora. "I feel wide awake. If you guys want to rest, that's fine with me."

"Thanks, Lunora," said Isaac. "See you later."

  
  


And with that, he and everybody else, except Lunora, went downstairs to their respective cabins. 

  
  


Isaac climbed into his bed, cot, whatever, he called it both. He pulled the thin blankets over himself. He even covered his head. And he slept like a mummy . . . 

  
  


*******

  
  


"Isaac. Wake up. We've reached the river."

  
  


Isaac's eyes snapped open. His eyes saw nothing but white, where the blanket obscured his view of anything but himself. He felt very stiff for some reason, especially in his left shoulder. But of course, he knew why that was.

  
  


He groaned, and slowly pushed the bedcovers off of his face to see Mia sitting down on his bed, waiting for him to rouse. 

  
  


"How does your shoulder feel now?" she asked soothingly.

"Like it's made of wood," Isaac mumbled.

"I bet," said Mia.

  
  


Isaac lifted himself up with his right arm with difficulty. It hurt too much right now to move his shoulder. He cast Potent Cure on it. The pain dimmed somewhat.

  
  


"Ah, that's better," said Isaac, sighing deeply. "Now, I can actually move my damn arm a little."

"That's good," said Mia, kissing him gingerly on the lips. 

After a few minutes of gentle kissing, Isaac pulled away and said, "Did you say we've reached the mouth of the river?"

"Yeah," said Mia softly, running her fingers through Isaac's hair, and resting her head against his chest.

"So what? I'm sure Lunora knows what to do," said Isaac. "If not, I'll go tell her later. Look for a bunch of trees and a beach. Then we're there."

Mia giggled. "That sounds about right. We'll be there in a day, right?"

"About that," said Isaac. "Until then, there's really not much to do around here. Just eat and sleep. Something I missed greatly while I was walking in Tundris."

"Me too," agreed Mia. "I'm pretty hungry right now. Want me to go make something?"

"Nah, I'll get somethin' myself," said Isaac, getting up. "No sense in putting you to work when I'm not."

"You're too kind," said Mia, grinning at him. "Well, let's go down to the pantry and get something!"

  
  


So the two made their way to the pantry, where Isaac dug out a bag of crackers and some jerky, and began to gnaw on it.

  
  


"Yeech!" said Isaac, going to the nearest window and spitting out the jerky. "This crap is as tough as my leather armor, and doesn't taste much better."

  
  


He chucked the jerky back into the pantry and took out a jar of water. He downed it in seconds and then stuffed a cracker into his mouth. 

  
  


"That was sick!" he said. "Don't eat that."

"I'll be sure not to," chuckled Mia, who was chewing on a prune. 

"I think I'm done," said Isaac, putting the crackers away. "That jerky made me lose my appetite."

"These prunes aren't too great either," said Mia, making a face after she bit into another prune. "I think I'm done too." 

  
  


She threw the jar back into the pantry, and then shut the door, and made her way up the stairs. Isaac followed her. 

  
  


"So Isaac, what are you gonna do?" asked Mia.

"I think I'll go check on our progress," said Isaac.

"Okay. I'll be down here," said Mia. "In my cabin."

"Okay," said Isaac. And so, Isaac went up the stairs, while Mia went into her cabin, and closed the door gently.

  
  


Isaac went up the stairs, and found Lunora and Ivan standing at the front. Lunora was checking the ship, while Ivan was guiding it. Looking around, Isaac saw that the ship was gliding through a very wide river. They were quite close to the left bank however, and they could see features of this bank that they couldn't on the other side.

  
  


"Anything amusing yet, or has it been smooth, boring sailing?" asked Isaac.

"The second one," said Ivan. "Seriously, this is so boring. There's nothing going on."

"Whoa, hold up a sec," said Isaac. "I hear something about the lighthouses."

  
  


Indeed he did. A man was standing on a high extension on a rocky cliff, some sixty feet from the surface of the water. Rocks were right below the extension. Since they were gliding so close to the shore, they were able to catch what the man was saying.

"So, since the lighthouses are lit, and our doom is sealed, I find no desire to stay on Weyard, and watch us destroy each other. So, I hereby end my existence on this land . . ."

"He's gonna kill himself!" shouted Isaac.

"Lunora! Guide the ship right next to the rocks!" shouted Ivan. 

"What?! Are you nuts? We might hit the rocks and we'd sink, and then we'll be screwed for sure!" said Isaac. 

"Lunora! Just do it! I know what I'm gonna do! Just try to get as close as you can without hitting the rocks!" shouted Ivan.

"Got it," said Lunora, and she began to guide the ship closer to the rocks. 

"This had better be good, Ivan. I'll be belowdecks, in case we spring a leak," said Isaac, and he sprinted through the door and down the stairs.

"C'mon . . . c'mon, dammit! Stupid ship, go faster!" snapped Ivan, pounding the railing.

"This is as close as I'm gonna get!" shouted Lunora. "Oh, no! Brace for impact!"

  
  


And with that, the ship shook violently, and a horrible splintering of wood could be heard. A great deal of cussing soon floated up from the open door leading to the lower region of the ship.

  
  


"Oh, dammit!" said Lunora. "Dammit to Hell. This stupid river and its strong currents!"

"It's not your fault, Lunora! You got as close as you could get! That's . . . oh Hell! He's jumping!"

  
  


And it was true. The guy who was reciting his suicide note jumped off the docks and fell like a stone towards the rocks. The timing had to be just right.

  
  


In a split second, Ivan thrust out his palm and cast Halt. The spell started to work, and the man still fell. The Halt itself was cast perfectly on the man as he fell past. The man floated in midair, suspended with a look of horror on his face, his arms stretched out in front of him.

  
  


"Help me pull him on deck, Lunora!" said Ivan urgently.

  
  


Lunora nodded and grabbed one of the man's arms. She and Ivan heaved the frozen man onto the deck. The Halt Psynergy wore off as soon as they got the man over the floor of the ship. He smacked into the ground and fell unconscious.

  
  


"Okay, what are we going to do with him?" asked Lunora.

"Well, we're sure as Hell not gonna take him with us," said Ivan. "He'd be way more of a hindrance than a help, seeing as he has no Psynergy. And he looks like he can hold a sword about as well as a pheasant."

  
  


Lunora giggled at this, and agreed with Ivan not to take the man with them. Then Isaac came storming up on deck, Garet and Solaris tagging behind.

  
  


"We're in big trouble," said Isaac irritably. "I stopped the leak, but there's about a foot of water in the lowest deck."

"Yeah, our food is all soggy," said Garet.

"We knew you'd say something of that measure sooner or later, so don't bother next time, Garet," said Ivan. "But, how are we gonna get all that water out of the lower deck?"

"Well, we could always do it the Old Navy way and have a bucket brigade," said Garet.

"Do the words 'Hell No' mean anything to you?" asked Isaac. Everybody else, including Garet, laughed at this.

"Your Djinn seem quite effective in clearing weather from the ship, Garet," said Lunora. "Couldn't one of them do it?"

"We tried," said Garet. "They only removed about five gallons. And that would take hours to do."

"Well, we'll just have to let it sit, and . . . how did you save that guy's life?" said Isaac, finally taking a look at the unconscious man on the deck of the ship.

"Ivan cast a Halt Psynergy spell on him at just the right moment," said Lunora, beaming at Ivan. "He was suspended in midair, and we pulled him on deck." 

"What's going on here?" said a new voice.

  
  


Mia had emerged on deck, holding her Crystal Rod. Her eyes traveled to the rocky cliff, to the gathering of everyone but her, and finally, to the motionless man lying on the deck. She gave Isaac a quizzical look. So, he filled her in on everything that had happened in the last ten minutes.

She whistled and shook her head.

  
  


"Well, why don't we just find a beach or something that's close by, and we'll leave him there," said Mia. "Because I agree with Ivan and Lunora. I don't want to take him with us."

"Do you think it's okay to sail?" asked Solaris. 

"I should probably go patch it up again," said Isaac, turning towards the door and disappearing through it.

  
  


Isaac made his way down two flights of stairs, and splashed into the lowest deck. The water wasn't high enough to go above the top of his boots, but it was close. Various objects floated around the place: empty jars and light chairs, things of that sort. 

  
  


The leak was a large one. Isaac had hastily grabbed some spare boards and nailed then in place using small clay spires. When Isaac reached the leak, he saw that it had been reduced to a droplet every few seconds. He patched that up with a bit of conjured stone. All of a sudden, he heard splashing behind him.

  
  


Mia was walking through the water effortlessly. She looked like the river water didn't bother her at all, though she was looking around her with a look of slight disgust on her face. 

  
  


"Man, it's pretty bad down here," said Mia. "Are you sure we'll be alright?"

"Yeah," said Isaac. "It wasn't Lunora's fault. The river currents rammed the ship into the rocks. The wind's blowing pretty hard out there right now."

"I noticed," said Mia. "Is this going to pose a problem?"

"Well, the food was bad anyway, so that's no big deal. But, this water is gonna slow our progress down. Which means, I'd add another half day to our estimated time to reach the forest."

"Aw man," said Mia. "Oh well. I guess there's nothing we can do about it."

"Well, I've pretty much fixed the leak as best I can," said Isaac, standing up, and cracking his neck. "I'm gonna go back upstairs. Oh, did you want something?"

"No," said Mia. "Just wanted to check on you."

"I see," said Isaac. "Well, this probably isn't a good place. Let's go up where it's not wet."

"Alright," agreed Mia, and she led the way upstairs; both of their feet left footprints on the way up.

"Well," said Isaac, grinning at Mia. "Time to sleep again." 

"Are you serious?" asked Mia, looking at him in surprise. 

"Dead serious," said Isaac. "I'm still exhausted."

"Well . . . do whatever," said Mia. "I don't care."

"You should sleep too," said Isaac. "You don't look exactly awake yourself."

"You're right," said Mia. "I think I will. I'm still pretty tired."

  
  


Isaac nodded and opened his cabin door. Entering, he took off his boots and then lay down on his bed He felt the ship start to move again. Then, he remembered he still had things to do. 

  
  


Putting on his boots again, he walked out of his room yet again and went up on deck. He saw Solaris guiding the ship this time. Lunora came out of nowhere and spoke to him just then.

  
  


"Everything's all sorted out up here," she said. "We're gonna find the nearest beach upstream, and drop the guy off there. He still hadn't woken up yet. And I prefer it that way."

"Sounds good. I just wanted to know what you planned to do," he said. "We're gonna have to stop at an inn for some dinner. Our food is wasted."

"Okay then," said Lunora. 

"I'm gonna go back to sleep," said Isaac.

"Fine. Solaris and I will take care of things until we see an inn. There's got to be one somewhere along this coast," said Lunora. 

"Wake me up when we find one."

"Will do. You just go catch up. I wasn't the one who took a scythe to the shoulder," responded Lunora, making a shooing motion with her hands.

  
  


So, Isaac made his way downstairs again, and once agin took his boots off, and collapsed on his bed. The normally hard bed now felt feather-soft to an exhausted Isaac. He instantly felt his eyelids grow heavy.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac woke up, and instantly noticed the decreased amount of light flowing through his cabin window. It wasn't totally dark out yet though, but the sun's glow was red, signaling it was dusk. 

Getting up and stretching, he put his boots back on, which were dry on the outside now. He walked slowly out of his cabin door, since he wasn't fully awake yet. He walked up onto the deck, where to his slight surprise, he found everyone sitting.

  
  


"Well, glad you could join us," said Garet. "Geez. You slept long enough."

"Exactly how long?" asked Isaac.

"Half a day," replied Mia. "Maybe more."

"Wow, I did sleep a lot," said Isaac, going over and sitting down next to Mia. "But no matter. I feel better now."

"We haven't been able to find an inn yet," said Solaris, scanning the beach unnecessarily.

"Yeah, and I hate that," said Garet.

"We knew you would," replied Ivan.

"Like you predicted, Isaac, we have been moving slower because of the water in the ship," said Mia.

"I figured," said Isaac. "I just want to get to an inn."

"I think we may be in luck," said Solaris, pointing.

  
  


Everyone looked in the direction of his finger. He was pointing to a small beach off the left bank. A few people were walking past, but there were no buildings. Isaac was the first to voice this.

  
  


"But there's no town or anything around here," he said.

"Well, maybe one of them could tell us where an inn is," said Lunora, pointing at the passerby.

"Well, let's beach this thing," said Garet, and he started to direct the ship towards the beach. "Hey, keep that guy knocked out, will ya, Ivan?" 

"Sure," said Ivan, and he cast another Sleep Psynergy over the man, by which he would have been conscious if Ivan hadn't kept putting him to sleep.

  
  


In a few minutes, the ship was safely docked on the beach. Garet unnecessarily chucked the man overboard onto the beach, where he landed with a hard *THUD*. After being scolded by Lunora, Garet check over the man to make sure he was okay.

  
  


"Well, let's ask someone where an inn is," said Isaac. "I'm hungrier than I've been in a long time!"

"Me too," said Solaris rubbing his stomach. 

"Here's someone who looks halfway decent," said Lunora. "Excuse me, sir. Is there an inn nearby?"

  
  


She stopped a teenage boy who was walking past, and he turned to her. Surveying her and the rest of the group, he pointed to a building off in the distance. It had smoke rising from a large chimney, and gold flickered in the windows.

  
  


"Thanks," said Lunora, and she started to hurry off.

"Wait up a sec," said the boy. "Y'wanna come with me first I know a place where we could have a good time," he asked, grinning at her suggestively.

  
  


The response the boy got was not one he expected. A blade came out of nowhere and was held up to the back of his neck. Ivan had his sword out, and he was looking quite enraged.

  
  


"Take that back, you scum, or I'll feed your head to the rats on my ship," he snarled. There were, of course, no rats on the Lemurian ship he and the others traveled on, but he wanted to make his threat sound more severe.

"Whoa, easy there man," said the boy, putting up his hands and backing off. "Not a problem. I'll just move along now."

"You do that," said Lunora nastily. 

  
  


The boy hurried away, and Ivan sheathed his sword. He walked back over to the group as if nothing had happened.

  
  


"Now, before we were interrupted, we were just about to head over to the inn that the scum pointed out," said Ivan. "Shall we hurry along? I want to get out of here as soon as possible."

  
  


The others nodded, and they quickened their pace to get towards the inn. After walking for a minute or so, they pretty well got the idea that this was a rough area. People of both genders looked at the opposites of Isaac's group suggestively every so often, but when they caught a glimpse of that person reaching a hand towards their weapon, they got the idea to get away from them as soon as possible. So, they reached the inn without a problem, though the walk took a good twenty minutes. 

  
  


They pulled open the door, and saw that if there were a choice of inns to stay at, this one would be at the very bottom of the list. The bar was the center attraction at this inn, and there were tables and chairs flying every few seconds as drunk arguments broke out.

  
  


Right away, Ivan turned on his heel, and backed out of the inn. Isaac saw that he was going around the far corner.

  
  


"Hey, Ivan! Where are you going?" he called.

"To find something to eat!" he replied. "I'm sure the garbage can has something good."

"Ivan, get back here now!" said Lunora, going up to him and pulling him back to the entrance gently by the arm.

"What the?! Lunora, I'm serious. I'd rather eat discarded food than the crap in there. They probably put alcohol in everything!"

"Y'know, I'm willing to bet that he's right," said Mia. 

"I want to know where we are," said Ivan.

"I'll go find out," said Garet.

"Here, take this," said Solaris, pulling out a small serrated knife form his backpack. "It's just for self-defense. I know that guy looks sober, but it's better to be safe."

"Thanks," said Garet, taking the knife quickly so that nobody would notice.

  
  


Garet walked over to a middle-aged man who was leaning against a wall with a mug in his hand. The knife hidden in his hand, he stopped a few feet in front of the man.

  
  


"Hey, where the Hell are we?" Garet asked the man.

"The Gondowan Settlement," he slurred.

'I guess he is drunk,' Garet thought. "Thanks," he said, and he started to walk away. He made his way back to the rest of the group unscathed. "This is the Gondowan Settlement, Isaac," he reported, handing the knife back to Solaris. "That would mean that the forest is northeast of here," said Isaac. "Well, let's get going. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't eat here if you paid me."

"Amen to that," said Solaris. Everyone else agreed.

  
  


They walked out of the inn to loud burps, laughing, and other assorted sounds. People were still walking about, even though it was almost entirely dark now. The temperature was very pleasant, and a soft breeze ruffled everybody's hair slightly as they made their way back to the ship.

  
  


"Well, that was a complete waste of time," said Ivan.

"I agree," said Lunora. 

"Let's make haste," said Mia. "We don't want to get caught here. I don't trust this place."

"Neither do I," said Isaac. "Not to worry. We should be at the ship in about fifteen minutes. All the same, I think drawing our weapons would keep the people away."

  
  


Everyone nodded, and drew out their swords. Sure enough, people looked at them warily, even the drunk-looking ones. They all kept their distance, which is what the group wanted. The walk to the ship did not take long.

  
  


"Okay, who has watch tonight?" asked Isaac.

"I do," said Mia. 

"Well, let's get this heap going again, and then we'll turn in," said Isaac.

  
  


Isaac got the ship away from the beach and going on the right path again, and then he went down to his cabin. Taking off his boots, sword, and armor, he sat down on his bed. He heard everyone else's cabin doors shut with a snap. Then he decided to go visit Mia. After all, she visited him while he was on watch. Plus, it was just soothing to be around her . . .

  
  


He got up and went back on the deck again to find Mia leaning over the side of the ship, her hair blowing in the breeze. The ship, despite the water in the bottom, still moved quite fast. She looked around to see Isaac, and smiled to see him there.

  
  


"Boring as Hell, huh?" asked Isaac, walking up close to her.

"It was," said Mia. "But you're here now. It won't be so bad."

"I doubt I'll be much help," said Isaac, shrugging his shoulders, and wincing when he did so. 

"It's beautiful out, isn't it?" said Mia, indicating the landscape and stars. 

"It is," said Isaac. "The moonlight really adds a mystical aura around the place." He looked over at Mia. "You know, I should see you under the moon more often. It does wonders for your hair."

"It goes well with me, doesn't it?" said Mia, turning to Isaac. "Just like you." 

"I know that," said Isaac, putting his hand on her back. "I'm pretty great, aren't I?"

"You are," said Mia, lowering her lips to his.

  
  


*******

  
  


Ivan lay in bed, reading a book that Master Hammet left with him on his quest. It was a good read, but now that he had read it about five times, it was getting rather old. Still, there was nothing else to do, so he resigned to reading it over and over again.

  
  


All of a sudden, he heard a knock on his bedroom door. Marking his page, he got up out of bed and went to open the door. And there stood Lunora.

  
  


"Erm, hi," he said. "Wanna come in?"

"Sure, thank you," said Lunora.

  
  


Lunora entered and sat down on Ivan's bed. She sat with her hands clasped together, resting on her lap. When Ivan had shut the door and leaned up against it, she spoke.

  
  


"Something has been on my mind since we got back," she said slowly, but evenly.

"What's that?" asked Ivan, wondering what this could possibly be about. Usually, if people wanted to know something, they talked to Isaac. But perhaps he was already asleep . . . 

"I want to know why you got so defensive of me back when that kid was trying to turn me on," said Lunora simply.

  
  


Ivan was quite taken aback by this statement. It was true that he did get defensive of her, but he didn't expect her to take notice of it.

'But then,' he thought, 'maybe I did overreact a little.' "I dunno," said Ivan. "I just thought that the kid was scum. Like he wanted to do it just to piss you off."

"But you're the one that got pissed off," said Lunora, smiling at him. 

"Well, yeah," said Ivan. "He didn't have a right to act like that. Like an idiot, anyway. I just felt like sticking up for you, that's all."

"I thank you," said Lunora, glowing at him, and standing up. "You're really nice to be around."

"You too," said Ivan, stepping out of the way of the door so that Lunora could pass through. 

  
  


She opened the door, and was about to go through, but then she stopped. She turned to Ivan, and put a hand up to his right cheek.

  
  


"I don't think you are aware of the trust you engender," she said. "You've been there to stick up for me, and you saved Isaac's life too. You're very important to all of us, and . . . to me in particular."

  
  


And with that, she leaned forward and planted a soft, but lengthy kiss on Ivan's lips. Ivan started to draw away in surprise, but her lips were so soft and warm, and the same went for her hand. And he realized also, that he was waiting for this to happen for a long time now. It was when he started to kiss back that Lunora began to kiss harder. She placed her other hand on Ivan's other cheek, and Ivan placed his hands on her back.

  
  


A few seconds later, Lunora broke the kiss. She and Ivan stood there, slightly out of breath. Lunora then smiled at him, her face slightly red.

"Not only did you do all of that stuff, but you're a good kisser too," she said.

"Huh. My first time," said Ivan, whose face was also slightly red.

"Well, goodnight Ivan," said Lunora, and she gave him one last kiss before walking out his cabin door.

  
  


Ivan walked back to his bed and climbed into it, having that feeling when you're kind of unsure that something just happened, because it was too good to be true. He moved his book, and got situated into a comfortable reading position. He decided that the moment was real. Now, he thought, smiling to himself, reading this book will be much more enjoyable. 

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac drew back from Mia, panting slightly. Mia was looking at him with much satisfaction and content. She had her arms around his waist, and he had the same with his arms. He drew in for another passionate kiss. She groaned and opened Isaac's mouth wider so she could slide her tongue in his mouth. Isaac, of course, did the same, holding Mia as tightly to him as possible. 

  
  


This continued on for much of the night. As for Solaris and Garet, they were completely oblivious to all of this. They were both exhausted for working much of the day, and were sleeping peacefully. It was an uneventful night.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac woke up on the deck of the ship the next morning, sprawled out like a cat. He got up, rubbed his eyes, and blinked in the bright sunlight. It was early morning, and yet it was already warm out. He was very hungry, to say the least. 

  
  


So, in an act of desperation, he walked through the door to the lower part of the ship. He splashed through the water, and opened the door to the pantry. But he was in for a big surprise.

  
  


Everyone else was seated on a wet bag of flour, munching on various items scattered around them. Instantly he was hit in the side of the head by a bag of crackers, thrown to him by Garet.

  
  


"Caught on, too?" he said. "It's not much at all, but it'll suffice . . . if you eat enough of it."

"Yeah, I bet," said Isaac, and he opened the bag and stuffed some of the crackers into his mouth. They didn't taste like all he had hoped for, but it was food. So, he consumed the package in only a couple of minutes.

"Well, the water level seems lower," said Solaris.

"By about half a centimeter," said Ivan. "I wonder how we are going to get rid of it."

"I thought we had decided to give up," said Garet. 

"For now," said Isaac. "But hopefully, we'll find some means of clearing it out."

"Hey, when do you think we'll reach the forest?" asked Lunora.

"Well, normally I'd say tomorrow afternoon, but the wind is with us for now," said Isaac. "So, I'd say sometime in the early morning, when Luna shines."

"Um, Isaac," said Ivan. "There's no moon tonight."

"Oh," said Isaac. "Well, that helps with the navigating," he added sarcastically. "Oh well. It won't be too bad."

"Well, damn," moaned Garet. "Another day sittin' around on a ship with a ton of water in the bottom. Anyone wanna swim?" he said. 

"No, Garet. Now, stop being sarcastic," said Isaac. "There's nothing to do. You could always get your stuff together."

"But that'll only take an hour!" said Garet.

"That's an hour that you won't have to spend doing nothing!" said Isaac, exasperated. "Now, quit whining and go find something to do! You're giving me a headache." 

  
  


Garet nodded, grumbling, and sloshed his way out of the pantry. The rest of the group could hear the sloshing, and then a door slam. 

  
  


"Well, I think I'll go do the same," said Isaac. "Anyone up for a bit of weapon shining?"

  
  


The rest of the group nodded, and the threw the uneaten food aside. They got up, following Isaac through the water and up the stairs to the cabin level of decks.

  
  


*******

  
  


'We are the Escort for Fire. We are the Escort for Fire. We head right for fire at its most powerful.'

  
  


This thought ran through Solaris's mind repeatedly as he stood. It wouldn't leave no matter how hard he tried. The lighthouse that his brother had once set foot in, his brother's lighthouse. Saturos would have probably had a better shot at defeating Agatio in that lighthouse. But then again, Agatio was a Mars Adept, too . . . 

  
  


Solaris guided the ship along the river, which was now as smooth as glass. And as black as the darkest night. He had a slight bit of trouble seeing where he was going, as it was hard to make out where the bank was, let alone a beach and a forest.

  
  


It was his turn for watch tonight. The others slept or finished gathering the stuff they would need for the trip. Many were not looking forward to this hike to the Mars Lighthouse, though they all admitted that they had higher spirits than at this point when they were going to hike through the blizzard on the way to the Luna Lighthouse. 

Solaris squinted in the distance, looking for any signs of a place to land, and for any tall trees. It was hard work, seeing as there was virtually no light, except for the occasional lantern held by somebody, that floated by.

  
  


Tired of squinting all over the place, he cast a solar flare into the sky to shine things up a bit so he could see better. Looking to the right side of the river, all he saw were flat, rocky fields with no signs of life, let alone a forest.

  
  


And then, he saw it. A beach, and trees that rivaled the height of the lighthouses on the left side of the river. There was, though it was hard to tell, a path leading into the forest, a five-minute walk from the beach. He walked over to the mast and rang the bell.

  
  


A few minutes later, everybody else emerged on deck, looking bleary-eyed and groggy. They were though, all geared up; armor on and weapons at the ready.

  
  


"Whassadeal?" asked Isaac, almost incomprehensibly.

"We're coming up on the forest," said Solaris simply. "There's a beach near it, so we won't have to walk very far."

"Well, let's get this ship ready for docking!" said Ivan, and he started to cover things up that might be damaged if exposed to weather. He didn't know how long they were going to be away from the ship, but he thought it best not to take any chances.

"Okay, it looks like we're coming up on the beach now," said Solaris. 

"Let's get our weapons out, shall we?" suggested Isaac. "In case we meet the same kind of trouble that we met the last time we got on land."

"Or there might be some really powerful monsters on the loose too," added Mia. Everyone else agreed and drew out their swords, staffs, whatever the case may be.

  
  


Not long after, they felt the now-familiar jolt of the ship running into a sandy beach. Garet lowered the plank, and, Isaac in the lead, they set foot on land once again. Then, they all started to walk. Their destination: the Mars Lighthouse.

  
  


**********************

  
  


Not a cliffhanger, but there is another one to come, I promise you that. 

  
  


Now, you're welcome to click that purple button in the corner of the screen. Which, obviously means that I want you to review. *Summons geckos* Or else!


	14. Conspiracy

Bwahahahahahahaha! Ok, sorry. I, SirGecko, just feel really evil right now. School will do that . . . that and the thought of dynamite. Heh. I could blow that place straight to Hell . . .

  
  


Many thanks to my reviewers of chapter 13 . . . and all of the previous. Like always, your support is greatly appreciated.

  
  


Okay, to the point of discussion. I have the much-awaited (I think) 14th chapter for all of those who are interested. It's rather short, about 6 1/2 pages long, but that's okay. All long chapters can get kinda boring, eh?

  
  


There's a small new twist developing that will leave you all in suspense. And some cliffhangers (sorry 0==|=R=a=g=n=a=r=o=k) too. If you all hate cliffhangers, here's my advice. The more reviews I get from fellow authors and readers, the faster I update. It's that simple.

  
  


Now, I have something I've been needing to get off my chest about the 13th chapter. Great Saiyaman, and hopefully several others, were pleased to find out that Lunora and Ivan finally kissed. And, as a little message to myself, "God, SirGecko, it's about damn time! 120 pages on your computer just to make them kiss?! What the Hell is wrong with you, making all those readers wait that long?" Okay, thank you for listening to me and my pointless ranting.

  
  


Okay, one last thing. That stupid disclaimer. Ahem. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did . . . well, that'd be pretty darn cool, now wouldn't it?

  
  


. . . I think I've bored you enough. On with chapter 14! 

  
  
  
  


Chapter 14: Conspiracy

  
  


"Well? Are they coming or not?"

"Of course they are coming. They'll have to travel through this forest to get to the Mars Lighthouse."

"But they haven't been here as soon as we expected them to."

"Do you doubt my word?"

"I did not mean that, but if we want to capture the traveler Isaac, he will have to come along here soon. We can only stay here for so long. Then we have to go meet-"

"I know who we have to meet, you don't have to remind me! Trust me, they will come down this path, sooner or later. They will have to reach the lighthouse by traveling through this forest, on this path. But . . . they still have the Mars Star."

"Why go to the lighthouse when they have the star? That'll just risk the lighthouse being lit, won't it?"

"Yes, but he is too arrogant, too foolish to believe that he and his followers will defeat the others. He cannot see reason when he is set to a task, and we can use that to our advantage. When they come by, we will capture them, and steal the star for what ourselves, so we can do with it what it was created for . . ."

"But, Isaac and his followers grow more powerful with each passing day. They will not be defeated easily." 

"The others are at their elemental lighthouse. Isaac and his followers will not survive the battle. The others will make sure of that . . ."

  
  


*******

  
  


"This is it. The forest entrance," said Isaac. "I heard that it is similar to Mogall Forest in size, but the difficult part this time will be the monsters."

"Hey, can't we hunt one of them?" asked Garet. "It would be nice to have some decent food."

"You think gargoyle meat is decent food?" asked Ivan. "Or are you perhaps deluded by the fact that you have not had two pounds of food in the last twelve hours?"

"There may be other monsters worth eating inside the forest though, Ivan," said Solaris. "Personally, If all we could find were gargoyles, than I'd eat it."

"Well, if you put it that way, I would too," said Ivan.

"Let's get going!" said Isaac. "The sooner we can get this over with, the better."

  
  


And with that said, they began to walk through the forest. It was pitch-dark inside. It was so dark in fact, that Isaac couldn't see his hand in front of him. Thankfully, Garet had thought ahead, for once. He pulled a small lantern out of his pack, and lit it with a flick of his wrist. It didn't throw off much light, but it was better than nothing, and definitely enough so that they could see the trail.

  
  


Garet handed the lantern to Isaac, who grabbed it and took the lead. They could see the candle flame flickering against the dark, ominous trees. It did not present an aura of comfort, that was for sure. They all had their weapons drawn, and they were alert and wary, taking every cracking branch to be that of a creature stepping on it.

  
  


Isaac held his Gaia Blade in his left hand, the lantern in his right. Concentrating both on finding his footsteps on the dark, dank path, and on any noises that he heard that were close by, he definitely had his hands full. Then, he saw a shadow stop on the path in front of him. He started slightly.

  
  


"Monster ahead," he said, setting the lantern down. "It doesn't look too difficult. But then again, I can barely see. It looks like a bear."

"I can dispatch it," said Garet, stepping forward, his axe drawn, and gleaming a brilliant orange color against the flickering of the flames.

  
  


Garet stopped a few feet away from the bear and waited until it charged him down. When it did, Garet mercilessly began to swing his axe, and the monster's grunts of pain could soon be heard. Then, silence filled the area.

  
  


"It's dead," said Garet.

"Good," said Isaac, stepping forward with the lantern in hand again. "Is it fit to eat?"

"I'm hungry enough," said Garet. "But you guys already knew that. You guys come up and check it for yourselves."

  
  


The rest of the group moved forward and inspected the dead monster. Besides the various slashes and matted fur that adorned its body, it looked very enticing to the whole group.

  
  


"If it's cooked enough, I don't see why we can't eat it," said Mia.

"I agree," said Ivan. "I'm starving, personally. What about you guys?"

"Like I said, I'm hungry enough to eat gargoyle meat," said Solaris.

"I'll eat anything that's not rotten," said Lunora. "And that goes for the food in the pantry on our ship. So, I'll eat this, no problem."

"Then it's decided!" said Solaris, removing the serrated knife from a sheath on his pack. 

  
  


Everyone waited while Solaris cut meaty parts of the monster away for cooking. Then, wrapping them up in a sheet he brought with him for sleeping, he swung the meat effortlessly over his back. So, motioning to Isaac, they started on their way again.

  
  


*******

  
  


"I have good news."

"What is it?"

"They have entered the forest. It shouldn't be long until they reach this area."

"Good. I see your little scouting mission was successful. You are quite confident that they will make camp around here?"

"If they are wise. The path here is wide, and ideal for a little camp-out and rest before they get to the Mars Lighthouse." 

"Your plan is ingenious. Isaac and Garet may be foolish, but they are wise when it comes to survival. The chances of them camping here are high. By now, they will be exhausted and hungry."

"Yes. And when they do camp here, we will make our move."

"And they will pay."

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac and the others were bone-exhausted after a long time of walking down the forest path. Everything looked the same. The trees, the grass, the path. Branches and vines often caught their legs, causing more than one person to trip. And the scary thing was that not a sound could be heard. Not even crickets, bats, or owls. It was as if the forest was plagued by some deadly creature that killed everything that made noise in the forest . . .

  
  


"Man, when are we going to rest for the rest of the night?" Garet said, dragging his feet slowly down the path, putting slight skid marks in it. "I feel dead on my feet."

"We will stop once we find a suitable place to make camp," responded Isaac. "If that means we get out of the forest before we do, then so be it. We'll camp then."

"But, that'll be hours!" whined Garet.

"Look, I'm tired too!" said Isaac irritably. "We're all tired. But we want to get to Karst and Agatio as soon as possible. Sometimes we have to push ourselves further than we would like."

"Okay, teacher, enough of the lecture," said Garet, just as irritably. "I get the point."

"What about that place up there?" asked Mia, pointing ahead.

  
  


The rest followed her gaze. In front of them was a small clearing. The path widened at this point slightly, and short grass grew on either side of the path.

  
  


"I don't think so," said Solaris slowly. "Though that clearing isn't bad, It's probably too cramped for supplies, a fire, and six sleeping areas."

"What about going in the trees?" asked Garet. "I'm sure there are lots of clearings in there."

"I doubt that there are a lot of clearings, since you can't even see the sky because the trees are so thick, and secondly, if we stray off the path, we might get lost, and then we would be in real trouble," said Isaac.

"Yeah, plus, I think there are more wide points on the trail. Further ahead," said Ivan.

"I agree," said Lunora. "If it were slightly larger, it would work. If the path widens here, I'm sure it will widen further along."

"Okay," said Ivan. "Let's get going then. I want to find that clearing as soon as possible." 

  
  


And so they trudged on, all dragging their feet this time. Isaac squinted into the semi-darkness, using the light of the lantern to guide his vision, and his footsteps. He thought he saw the glint of yellow eyes, but it was just the lantern reflecting off of a rock.

  
  


For quite some time, there was absolutely no sign of a widening of the bath, let alone one big enough for the whole group to stay at. Soon, many we trying their best not to collapse with exhaustion. It was tough work. Everyone was concentrating all their energy of: trying to keep their eyelids open, trying to keep walking, and trying not to collapse with exhaustion. It looked like no break was in sight.

  
  


Then, they saw it. A clearing at last . . . one twice as big as the one Mia pointed out earlier. No one even had to say a word. Isaac blew out the lantern, and Garet fell onto the ground with a loud *thunk*. His snores could be heard seconds afterward.

  
  


"Slacker," said Solaris humorously. "Oh, well. Let's let him sleep." 

  
  


He gathered up some nearby twigs into a small pile, and then lit them on fire with a small flare emitted from his hand. The light made shadows dance on Garet's face, and on the surrounding trees more brilliantly than the small lantern that Isaac held had.

  
  


"We'll need to get this fire going more than this if we want to cook that meat enough," said Mia. 

"Which means that we'll need to get some wood," said Lunora.

"Let's leave Isaac here, and the rest of us will go get some wood. That way, we'll be back here within minutes with enough to last us until we get going again."

"Fine with me," said Isaac. "You better stick together."

"Good idea," said Solaris. "We'll stick together, since we don't want to get lost in this forest. Let's go."

  
  


Solaris, Lunora, Ivan, and Mia disappeared off further down the path. Isaac looked around, and noticed that Garet's Giant Axe was gone. He reasoned that Solaris must have taken it to chop down some short trees. In case, he had left his Sol Blade by Garet's side; if Isaac and Garet encountered monsters, he didn't want to leave Garet weaponless.

  
  


*******

  
  


"I bring good news once again."

"What is it this time?"

"Four of his followers have left to seek wood. I witnessed it myself."

"This is great news. We planned to take all six of them, but with four gone, it will make this business a whole lot easier."

"I agree. With that said, this would be the right time to take action. Let's go."

"You mean, you want to take them, now?"

"I haven't finished. One of them is even sleeping as we speak. Can you think of a better opportunity to strike?"

"You're right. Do you have your necessary equipment?"

"Of course. You?"

"Naturally."

"Well, let's do this, and get it over with. Move out."

*******

  
  


Isaac was still waiting for the others' return, but sat, humming to himself, fighting back the tiredness, which the fire had dissipated somewhat for some reason. He prodded the fire with a twig, sending a shower of brilliant orange sparks into the air. The meat was out and ready to go next to the small campfire. 

"Ahh," said Isaac happily to himself. "Once Solaris and the others get back from the woods, we'll roast that meat and have a decent meal for once. Then, we'll sleep 'till morning, and then take off again for the Mars Lighthouse, refreshed!"

"That's what you think," said a muffled, but definitely evil-sounding voice.

  
  


Isaac tried to spin around to get a view of who had the voice, but he was restrained by a pair of very strong hands, while a gag was stuffed in his mouth. He could hear the same also happening to Garet.

  
  


"Now, be a good boy, and do what I tell you, and no one gets hurt," said the voice. Isaac nodded.

"This one is all tied up," said another voice, also muffled.

'Probably to prevent identification,' Isaac thought. He could hear Garet squirming on the ground with all his might behind him.

"Now that we have you two restrained," said the voice near Garet, "there is only one more thing to take care of."

  
  


Isaac tried to look around wildly, but the hand on his head was so strong that it prevented his head from moving a mere inch from side to side. Isaac began to writhe and squirm as he felt his Gaia Blade removed slowly and painfully from its sheath.

  
  


"You are wasting your energy, Isaac and Garet," said the voice.

"Haaa oo oou know ouh nameh?" asked Isaac as clearly as he could, as the gag was preventing discernable speech. But the evil voice seemed to understand him, for it answered his question precisely. 

"We have our ways," said the voice. "Now, brace yourself. This will hurt a little."

  
  


The last thing Isaac knew at this time was the hilt of his own Gaia blade making contact with the upper part of his skull. He could've sworn he heard the same happen to Garet before he passed out . . .

  
  


*******

  
  


Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora were bending over, picking up small pieces of wood, branches, and twigs to build the fire hot enough to get some bear meat cooked. Lunora collected an armful of twigs and branches, Mia collected small pieces of wood, and Ivan held large branches. 

  
  


Solaris was swing away at a small tree with Garet Giant Axe. A small pile of large pieces of wood lay at his feet. A few swings, and the tree crashed to the ground, the cracking of wood heard by everybody. It was a satisfying sound. 

  
  


Solaris cut off a few sections of the tree, and then split the sections into quarters, and added them to his pile. He picked up the old wood and then, with Ivan's help, he stacked the rest in his arms. He had to have held at least a dozen pieces. He confided to Ivan that the only reason he didn't carry more was because if he did, his vision would have been obstructed.

  
  


"This oughta be enough wood for now," said Ivan, holding a huge pile of the aforementioned substance in his hands. "Let's head back to camp." 

  
  


Everyone held a large pile of either logs or sticks to keep the fire going long enough for them to eat. They were excited for the first time in a day. They were finally going to have a halfway-decent meal.

  
  


"I can taste that bear meat already," said Solaris, licking his lips. 

"Me too. My mouth is watering!" said Mia.

"Do you think they'll have some meat cooking right now?" asked Ivan.

"I doubt it," said Solaris. "The wood for the fire now isn't enough to even get it steaming, let alone cook it."

"You know, I bet we would be positively revolted at the idea of eating a monster bear if we actually had decent food on board the ship," laughed Lunora.

"I think you're right about that," said Ivan. "Although there was this time in the Suhalla when me and Isaac ate some lizards because we were so hungry . . ."

"And then you drank cactus juice! I remember that!" said Mia, starting to giggle. "You and Isaac looked so cute with your lips pressed to a cactus . . . like you were-"

"Kissing it?" said Ivan scornfully. "Leave it to women to think of those kinds of things . . ." Solaris chuckled heartily. 

"Look ahead," said Lunora. "The fire is almost out! Oh, I do hope we didn't run out of wood already . . ."

"Well, we'd better hurry if we want to get there in time to get it going again!" said Solaris.

  
  


They ran as fast as they could while holding an armful of wood. They got back to the camp in about five minutes, and Mia threw some branches and small pieces of wood onto the fire, sending a shower of sparks into the air. Flames immediately sprung from the pile of wood, throwing the whole campsite into light sufficient enough to see.

  
  


"Phew! Before that, I couldn't see a thing around me," said Lunora. 

"And now that we can, I'm beginning to wonder where Isaac and Garet went," said Solaris.

  
  


Ivan, Mia, and Lunora spun around on the spot, searching for any sign of Isaac or Garet. But they found none. All they saw were footprints and stirred dirt. This caught everyone eye, and especially Mia's.

  
  


"Hey! Look at these footprints!" she said, pointing to the ground. 

"Why would there be footprints? This is a moist forest path!" said Ivan.

"I know that, but the fire must have dried out the dirt around this area!" said Mia. "Look!"

"They are footprints," said Lunora. "Well, I'll be damned. They should know better than to wander around the forest now! They could get lost for sure!"

"Their absence was not their own doing," said Solaris gravely.

"What?!" said everyone else.

"Look at these footprints," said Solaris. He pointed. "These over here. Those, see? There are six sets of footprints here. All of them human footprints. Two leading onto the path, and two leading back into the forest. The other two sets of footprints come from Garet's sleeping spot near the place where the footprints from the forest originated, and also Isaac's sitting position on the path next to the fire, facing away from the from the footprints that came out of the forest." said Solaris. He sighed, and continued.

"Isaac and Garet did not leave the forest path willingly." He paused again, and said the three words that everybody else feared he would say most.

"They were abducted."

  
  


**********************

  
  


Oh, my. Another cliffhanger. Well, like I said before, the more people who review, the less you have to wait. That's a new policy with me from now on. My geckos wanted to set a number minimum, but I don't think that's fair. So, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Heck, if I get enough, I may get tne next chapter out by tomorrow afternoon!

  
  


Hey, if it helps any, it's already done. This is SirGecko signing off.

  
  


~SirGecko~


	15. Journey to Recovery

Har de har har har! Tis me, SirGecko, with number 15. I've been waiting to post this . . . 

  
  


Thank you all very much, those of you who read my story. I love the fact that I got nine . . . it's great. Thanks again.

  
  


This chapter, 15, is slightly longer than 14 . . . about 7 pages, I think. Still, I think it'll be worth it. I hope you do too.

  
  


By the way, this is something that I've been meaning to clear up, mainly for Ssonic's benefit. Maybe this will clear up the confusion for some of you other readers too. I know that Mars Lighthouse is in Prox, I should know. I've played the second game through more than once, so don't think that I don't know what I'm talking about. I just thought that Going to Tundaria for the Luna Lighthouse, where it is cold, and then going to Prox, which is also cold, would be repetitive, and very boring. Plus, variation is good . . . 

  
  


IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: I will be leaving for California on Friday or Saturday, and I'll be coming back Monday Night. So, I'll post chapter 16 (only if you want me to, and if I get some reviews ^_^ (gee, I haven't done that in a while)) right before I leave, hopefully. Until I get back, you'll just have to cope . . . shouldn't be too hard. When I get back, I'll put up chapter 17. 

  
  


Now, I have to do the disclaimer, since nobody likes to be sued. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, then Isaac and Mia would have gotten together . . . and for Akachi, Garet and Jenna. As far as the relationships in the game went, I thought they were too flat and repetitive. This is my own personal opinion, keep that in mind! 

  
  


Okay, on with chapter 15!

  
  


Chapter 15: The Journey to Recovery

  
  


Isaac awoke, but didn't open his eyes. He thought that if he did, his head would hurt too much. The throbbing pain coming from the bump on his head was excruciating. Gritting his teeth, he opened his eyes all the way, and got a bearing of his surroundings, despite the throbbing pain in his head.

He was in a small clearing completely surrounded by tall, dark trees. There was no sign of his assailants, or Garet for that matter. He tried to move, but couldn't. After a few seconds of fruitless jerking and struggling, he realized that he must have been tied to one of the trees. 

  
  


The gag was, however, removed from his mouth. He would have shouted for help, but that would have probably resulted in his head splitting open. He didn't want that. But, his hands were itching like Hell from the scratchy ropes that were used to bind him . . .

  
  


He turned his wrist so that his palm was facing towards the ropes. Concentrating hard, head hammering, he cast Spire on the rope, which instantly snapped, freeing Isaac's hand. It was only a matter of seconds before he was able to untie the bonds restraining his other hand.

  
  


Hands now free, he tried to walk, but tripped. He soon realized that is feet were tied together as well. So, freeing those up as well with little difficulty, he was finally able to walk around. 

  
  


It didn't take him long to find Garet. After a few seconds of scouring the clearing for his best friend, he found him, attached to the other side of the tree that bound himself. Untying Garet, he let him slump to the forest floor. Garet was still unconscious with a lump on his head that was similar in size, and probably pain, to Isaac's. Now, Isaac had to figure out what to do.

  
  


His first instinct told him to revive Garet and run for it. But, then, he considered the matter more deeply. And the more he thought about it, the more he thought that he and Garet should stay here. First off, he needed his weapon back. And the assailants had both his and Garet's. Second, if he and Garet were trying to find their way back to Ivan, Mia, Solaris and Lunora, it would make finding them much more difficult because he knew that they would be searching for them. Third, he didn't think that he or Garet were in any condition to find a small clearing in this vast and confusing of a forest. No, he'd just have to wait for the assailants' return.

  
  


He then heard groans coming from the are in which he let Garet slump to the ground. Turning around, he saw that Garet was finally awake, moaning with agony as he felt the bump on his head.

  
  


"Is there a way I can kill myself?" he asked, looking up at Isaac.

"If there was a way, I'd have probably used it already," said Isaac. "You are referring to the pain in your head, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah!" said Garet. "Why else would I want to kill myself?"

"Perhaps because we have been taken to the kidnappers' clearing," said Isaac.

"What?!" said Garet. He took this time to look around. "You're right. We're not on the path anymore, are we?"

"Nope," said Isaac heavily. "We'll just have to wait for the kidnappers to return."

"Are you crazy?" said Garet in an unnaturally high-pitched voice. "We might be killed!"

"Well, I probably am crazy, but don't you think they would have killed us already if they wanted us dead?" said Isaac. 

"Well . . . you've got a point there," said Garet thoughtfully. 

"Besides, if we're on the move while Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora are, then we'll never find each other. Let's count on the fact that they are going to come looking for us."

"But what if the kidnappers get them?"

"There's no way they can get all four of them, since there are only two assailants. The other two people weren't being attacked would probably subdue them, so they're probably looking for us right now." reasoned Isaac. "So, I think our best bet would be to stay alert, and just wait."

"Well, normally, I'd be complaining but my head hurts too much for that right now," said Garet. "It's not as though one option's any better than the other."

  
  


Isaac nodded, and began scouring the ground, apparently looking for something. Then, finding what he was looking for, he picked up two, long, mostly straight sticks that were about one-and-a-half inches wide. He threw one to Garet, who caught it one-handed.

  
  


"It's not much," said Isaac. "But, a flimsy weapon is better than no weapon, and we have to have one until the assailants return."

  
  


*******

  
  


"Well, how are we going to find them?" said Lunora. 

"Do you think that's a good idea?" responded Ivan hesitantly. "I mean, we could get lost."

"Well, so could they!" said Mia indignantly. She was worried sick for Garet and Isaac, especially. "Believe me, I think we're in a better condition to look for them than they are at finding us. They might not even be able to get to us!"

"A very good point," said Solaris, nodding his head. "Mia's right. They might be bound and gagged, so we have to assume that. We'll hunt for them as one group, since we don't want to split up and get lost."

"This is going to be tough," said Ivan. "I mean, we're all so tired."

"Yeah, me too," yawned Lunora, leaning on Ivan's shoulder to support herself. "But, sleep is not an option. The more time we waste, the more danger that Garet and Isaac are in."

"Shall we go?" asked Mia, turning to the spot where they knew Isaac and Garet had been dragged away from the forest path.

"Let's," said Solaris. He drew out his Sol Blade, and the rest of the group followed suit. 

  
  


Ivan led the way into the dark forest, Kikuichimonji out, slashing at vines in his way. Mia followed holding the small lantern, then came Solaris and Lunora. Lunora listened or scouted for any signs of movement or, hopefully, a campfire. But she doubted that, as she was pretty sure the assailants were too smart to do something as stupid as that.

  
  


She saw a monster approached, but instantly heard a squeal the moment Solaris charged it. So, with that out of the way, they were able to proceed again.

  
  


Mia was looking at the ground, whispering to Ivan which way to turn. It was always a difficult call, since so few people traveled into the growth of the forest. But, she detected a sign of disturbed greenery here and there, and that always helped them to go in the right direction. She hoped to Mercury that Isaac and Garet were okay, or, she dreaded the thought, not dead . . .

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac made sure that there were no sounds coming form beyond his point of vision. Garet had lit a campfire in the hopes that Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora might see it. But, it would have to be extinguished if they heard noises coming form outside the clearing.

  
  


Garet was currently sleeping, and Isaac was feeding the small fire with little sticks, just enough to keep it going with out making it overly bright. He hoped that Solaris and the others would find them before the assailants did . . . that way, they'd have some extra security, and some extra help. Isaac and Garet had decided instantly that they were not going anywhere until they had their weapons back.

  
  


Garet stirred with a groan, and shifted to his other side in his sleep. Isaac slowed down his movements, so as not to make as much noise. Then, without warning, he heard noises approaching their little clearing. The crunching was too heavy to be that of a forest monster, which could mean only one thing . . .

  
  


Quickly stamping the fire with his foot, he went over and roused Garet, who took one look at the worried expression on his face, and knew that the assailants were returning.

  
  


"What should we do?" said Garet, picking up his pole.

"Fight like Hell and hope we live," said Isaac, grabbing his own pole, and holding it two-handed in front of his torso.

  
  


The assailants burst through the clearing with such suddenness that Isaac and Garet jumped about a foot in surprise. The kidnappers took one look at Isaac and Garet, lumps protruding slightly out of their scalps from where the swords hit them, poles in hand, in a fighting position. This brought one of them to a chuckle, the one that Isaac assumed was female.

  
  


"Don't waste your time," she laughed. "Without your weapons, and only sticks, you would be no match for us." 

  
  


The voices were still muffled, and Isaac became extremely irritated with himself that he couldn't figure out who the assailants were. But he knew from the fact that they kept their identity hidden so well, that they had made contact him and Garet before . . .

  
  


"Well, if we're gonna die, we're gonna die as warriors!" said Garet defiantly. "No matter the odds." 

  
  


Isaac praised Garet for saying the words he would have said, only his head hurt too much to use that volume of voice.

  
  


"You are not going to die tonight," said the other voice, who Isaac was sure belonged to a male.

"What do you mean, we're not going to die 'tonight'?" said Isaac warily.

"We merely mean that we are not going to kill you," said the woman's voice. "But the others will."

"Others . . . you mean Karst and Agatio and Alex?" said Isaac. How did the kidnappers know about them?

"We do not know or care what their names are," said the man. "We do, however, care about a certain item you possess. Give it to me."

"Huh?" said Isaac. 

"We want the important item!" said the man impatiently.

"What item?" said Garet. "We cannot give you anything unless-"

"The Mars Star!" screeched the woman. "Give it to us, or you will die tonight!"

  
  


*******

  
  


"I see no sign of them. Do you?" asked Mia to Ivan.

"Not a thing," he said wearily. He was now wearily swinging his arm at vines and growth in their way. 

They were all exhausted. They had not had a wink of sleep for half a day, and no food for three days. They didn't want to face it, but they all knew that they had a limit. And that limit was approaching. Soon, they would succumb to exhaustion, no matter how much they resisted it. But for now, they pressed on.

  
  


Often, they imagined that they heard voices, but when they asked another if they had heard the same, they would deny it. So, many disappointments aroused within the group when this happened.

  
  


Now, no sounds were heard throughout the forest, except for the own crunching of their feet, stepping on twigs, and Ivan slashing at greenery in the way. They weren't even sure that they were going the right way, since they had not seen other disturbed foliage for a long time.

  
  


"I hear something!" shouted Lunora suddenly, making everybody start.

"Are you sure?" asked Ivan, looking up at her.

"Definitely! Listen!" she said. 

  
  


Everybody ceased all movement and listened. They heard the crickets and tree frogs making their night noises. It was a pleasant sound, but there was another sound mixed in with that that seemed out of place. It was the sound of human voices.

  
  


*******

  
  


"Give you the Mars Star? What would you want the Mars Star for?" said Isaac, looking over at Garet. He had the Mars star in his pocket, not Isaac.

"Would we be so foolish as to tell you?" sneered the man. "Maybe it's for personal gain. Maybe it's to put it where it belongs. Maybe it's for an entirely different purpose. Nevertheless, we will not tell you our reasons."

"Then why should we give it to you?" asked Garet boldly.

"Because if you don't, we will do more with your weapons than conk you on the head," said the woman mockingly, taking out Isaac's Gaia Blade, while the man drew out Solaris's Sol Blade.

  
  


Isaac and Garet tensed, clasping their poles tighter, willing to try anything to ward off their opponent. This time, they were not attacking foes or killing monsters for eating. They were now merely defending themselves, trying to fight for survival. This pumped up Isaac somewhat, the more he thought about it.

  
  


The man charged, followed by the woman. Isaac and Garet raised their poles and starting making jabs at the assailants. The assailants, they soon found out, were virtually untouchable. They either blocked everything or swiped Isaac's and Garet's weapons so that Isaac and Garet had to recoil to avoid losing a limb. Every once and a while, they made a blow to the assailants, but it was either a glancing blow, or not enough to do any physical damage.

  
  


Isaac fought like he had never fought before. He fought harder than he had ever fought against Karst, Agatio, or Alex. He cast Stone Spire on the woman, but she shattered them all with the Gaia Blade. 

  
  


'This is pretty much the end,' thought Isaac. 'I will fight to the death, but I don't see how we can win. I will die a hero's death . . .'

  
  


All of a sudden, the woman screamed and flew forward. Isaac immediately leaped out of the way of her and the Gaia Blade, so as not to get injured. She slammed hard against the forest floor. The man got a taste of it this time. Only Garet was not so quick in getting out of the way. The man collided head-on with Garet, knocking the wind out of him. Thankfully, Garet managed to avoid the gleaming, razor sharp blade of the sword. 

  
  


Isaac looked towards the source of the man and the woman's blows, and seconds later, he saw Solaris and Lunora scamper out of the clearing, weapons drawn. Ivan and Mia followed soon after. Mia immediately rushed over to Isaac.

  
  


"Isaac, are you okay?" she asked, more calmly than Isaac thought she would, though she did give him a good, long kiss.

"Fine," said Isaac, after the kiss. "But I wouldn't have if you didn't show up. I'd have been dead. Garet too."

"Oh, Mercury! I'm so happy to see you okay!" she said, giving him another kiss.

"Me too," said Isaac. "I've never fought so hard in my life."

"Let me at least ease your pain," she said, and she cast Pure Ply on the bump on Isaac's head. Naturally, the pain and the lump vanished instantly.

  
  


Garet, meanwhile, was being tended to by Lunora, who cast Lunar Aura on him to relieve him of the pain in his own head. He was helped up by Solaris, who dusted him off.

  
  


Ivan was holding back the attackers, but Garet, Isaac, and the rest were soon to join. Isaac and Garet with their poles, Ivan and Solaris with swords, and Lunora and Mia with staffs. Though he knew it pained the assailants to make this decision, Isaac saw the comprehension dawn on their faces that they would not win a six-on-two fight. 

  
  


They threw Isaac's and Garet's weapons at their owners lethally, but thankfully, both were able to just barely move out of the way unscathed. The weapons collided with trees behind Isaac and company, embedding at least six inches into the soft, damp bark. Then, the assailants ran off into the forest, as quietly as the night itself.

  
  


Isaac and Garet walked forward to the trees that their weapons were embedded in, and pulled them out, with surprising difficulty. The assailants were very strong, and hopefully, they had seen the last of them.

  
  


"Oh, Mars," said Garet wearily, handing Solaris his Sol Blade in exchange for the Giant Axe. "That was horrifying."

"I bet it was," agreed Ivan. "Good thing we found you, too."

"It is," said Isaac. "If you didn't we'd have been dead for sure."

"I shudder at the thought," said Mia. "Well, let's get back to our camp."

  
  


So, staying closer together than was normal, they proceeded back to the main path of the forest, Ivan leading the way thanks to the greatly disturbed greenery, compliments of his now green-stained Kikuichimonji.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac and company burst through the foliage, at last, onto the path. Everything was set up as they had left it, though the fire had gone out. Everyone set about, checking the final details of the camp to make sure everything was still untouched, or disturbed by monsters. Solaris checked the bear meat, to make sure that it was still fit for eating. Thanks to the cool of the forest, it was.

  
  


Garet lit the fire again with a flick of his wrist, and Solaris applied some sticks, twigs, and pieces of wood to it, until they blazed angrily with fire. Solaris then took the serrated knife from his pack and cut sizable chunks of bear meat away from the large pieces he stripped form the body of the bear.

  
  


"Everyone look for a good sharp stick, and then clean it. We're gonna have roasted bear meat," said Solaris. 

"Yum yum!" said Ivan, licking his lips. 

  
  


Everyone brightened at the prospect of food at last, and set about finding sharp sticks. Mia cleaned off the end of every one with a small, but powerful burst of water. They each speared a sizable chunk of bear meat onto the end of their stick, and held them over the fire.

  
  


Isaac and Garet then spent awhile recalling their time away, in the hands of the kidnappers. There wasn't much to tell, but Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora hung onto every word with interest and, in the more intense parts, anxiety. The story took about half an hour to tell.

  
  


By the time everybody finished, their bear meat was done. Sizzling on the end of their stick, they took it out of the flames, ready to eat.

  
  


"Hold it!" shouted Garet. "I brought something for this."

  
  


Everyone watched with amusement as Garet drew out several foreign spices that he had brought with him, just in case they did find and eat a wild animal. He sprinkled a few of the spices onto every piece of bear meat, and then gestured for everybody to eat.

  
  


The bear meat was delicious, cooked to perfection. And even better with Garet's spices. But, they all suspected it tasted so good mainly because they had not tasted food for three days, and had lost a lot of weight.

  
  


The food was devoured within minutes, and left everyone feeling stuffed and happy . . . with one exception. They all needed sleep. So, not caring whether the assailants chose to return and get revenge, they all laid down on the forest path, and fell asleep almost instantly. They were undisturbed the entire time.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac woke, face staring into the dying embers of the fire. There was slightly more light coming into the forest, now that it was daylight. Or Isaac assumed, anyway . . . it was hard to tell, the trees were so thick. Around him, he could see that the others were still fast asleep. Except for one, who's blanket was already dusted off and rolled up.

  
  


"Good to see you awake," said Solaris, nodding. 

  
  


Isaac started, and sat up, rubbing his eyes vigorously. He looked around, and saw Solaris sitting on a stump next to the fire. The very stump, in fact, that Isaac had sat on the previous night when he was abducted. He got up fully, yawning, and started to shake out and roll up his blanket. When his bedding was ready to be packed again, he sat on the dirt path next to Solaris.

  
  


"Looks like you slept well," commented Solaris, grinning at his mussy hair and groggy expression.

"The night wasn't long enough," grumbled Isaac. Solaris chuckled slightly. "Though I will admit, I do feel more full of energy than I have for three days," added Isaac. 

"I do too," said Solaris. "It's good to see you in this condition. I was afraid we would have found you beaten or something."

"Nah," said Isaac. "I may have gotten hit, but I can usually avoid something like that," said Isaac modestly.

  
  


Both turned sharply when they heard a rustling behind them, but it was only Ivan, waking up and stretching. Everybody else was soon to follow. And together, they rolled up and packed their bedding, stamped out the ashes, and threw the remaining bear meat into the foliage. 

  
  


"We are ready to go!" said Isaac, stepping in front of everybody else. 

"You bet! Refreshed and rejuvenated!" said Ivan briskly, hoisting his backpack over his back.

"Right! Let's proceed!" said Solaris, and at that Isaac started to move forward, ready to continue. 

Isaac, Ivan, Mia, Solaris and Lunora took about fifty steps down the forest path when they noticed Garet standing absolutely still near the campsite, mouth hanging open, looking absolutely terrified. Isaac rushed forward to his friend, but Garet hardly moved. He only turned his head and closed his mouth, but the terror never left his eyes.

  
  


"Garet! What's wrong? It looks like you've just seen our death!" said Isaac worriedly.

"In the end, maybe I have," said Garet squeakily. "Oh Mars . . . why didn't I check earlier?"

"What are you talking about, Garet?" said Lunora, looking both concerned and confused.

"The Mars Star . . ." said Garet weakly. "It's gone."

  
  


***********************

  
  


Eep. Another small cliffhanger. Oopsy on Garet's part. And for all you Garet fans out there, I'll tell you before hand: THIS WAS NOT HIS FAULT. And I'll explain why in chapter 16.

  
  


Anyway, review people! I loved the flood of them last time, so the deal still stands. I will repeat this at the end of every chapter. The more reviews I get, the faster I update. Fair? Good. Now, review. 

  
  


~SirGecko~ 


	16. Hellfire

Wow! Is it really me? Uh, yeah. Anyway, I, SirGecko, am back to post the 16th chapter. You kept your end of my proposed deal, so now it's my turn to keep mine. So, I give you this speedy update.

  
  


Thanks to all the reviewers. Your support is greatly appreciated.

  
  


Now, I have TWO important authors notes to take care of:

  
  


a. I originally said that I'd be going down to California this weekend. Nope, change of plans. Since this would normally be a turnaround trip, because of that damn curse called school, we decided that the trip would not be worth it. So, I'll be heading down sometime around Thanksgiving, by which point, I will hopefully be finished with this story (provided Writer's Block doesn't ail me, like it is right now ^_^).

  
  


b. Thanks to darchi (I can't remember the spelling, sorry) for correcting me about a major error in the previous chapter. I will explain it. I'd said that Solaris ahd taken Garet's Giant Axe with him to cut down some wood, and leave behind the Sol Blade for Garet's defense. Well, in the fight scene with the assailants, I had used the Giant Axe instead of the Sol Blade (for the wepon stolen off of Garet), which was my mistake. I have corrected it, and in doing so, feel less stupid. Thanks for pointing this out to me, sir!

  
  


Now, this is chapter 16. It's about 7 pages long, so it's just a little under average. Sorry for all of you who like long chapters, but there aren't any that I have typed up after this -_-. I apologize . . . 

  
  


As you read from 15, they've got a little problem on thier hands now, with the disappearance of the Mars Star . . . and, about the assailants. Acachi has already submitted her guess, anyone else mind letting me know who they think the assailants are? You won't find out for some time (sorry), but on the plus side, you WILL find out. Just be patient while I rack my brain for ideas, to get out of my Writer's Block. I've got one brewing, but I have to figure it out still . . . 

  
  


Okay, I think I've rambled on enough. On with chapter 16! 

  
  
  
  


Chapter 16: Hellfire

  
  


The impact of this simple statement made everybody literally recoil with shock and horror. Garet looked less shocked now, and more apologetic. He even, Isaac noticed, looked close to tears, and he had seen Garet cry only once before.

  
  


"I should have checked for it before he even left the clearing," he said shakily. "I didn't though. It's gone, and I know that the kidnappers took it."

"Yeah, otherwise we would have noticed it on the ground," said Mia.

"The man must have taken it when he fell on me," mumbled Garet. "I know that's when they got it. And it's all my fault . . ."

"Relax, man!" said Ivan reassuringly. "How could you have known?"

"It's, as you have said to me so often, common sense!" said Garet. "If I had the common sense to check for it, this wouldn't have happened."

  
  


This left Ivan at a loss for words. It was true that he often poked fun at Garet, but he had always meant it in a joking fashion. He didn't know Garet took it somewhat seriously . . . but they both had a point. If Garet did have more common sense, than this wouldn't have happened. But Garet was right in the fact that he didn't expect it.

  
  


"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," said Lunora. "If we go after the assailants, it will only deter us from the task at hand. And that is to get to the Mars Lighthouse and stop Karst and Agatio."

"But, we need to find the star, don't we?" said Garet. "I'll find it alone if I have to. It was my responsibility . . . my fault . . ." and this time, Isaac did see a solitary tear leak out of Garet's right eye. Isaac took his sleeve and wiped it away.

"Don't beat yourself up," he said reassuringly. "We're not blaming you in the slightest. I probably, under the circumstances, wouldn't have checked for it either. We were both worried about our own safety, and that comes first. So, don't kill yourself over it. You were right."

Garet sniffed. "Well, you have a point . . ."

"Of course he has a point!" said Solaris. He looked at Garet. "Now, I want you to stop worrying. We'll be fine. The Star will be fine. The only problem we'll have is if it's carried to the Mars Lighthouse."

"This means, that this is where we have to assume the worst," said Isaac. "So, we all know the worst. It will be taken to the Mars Lighthouse, where it will be used to light the beacon. With that in mind . . ."

"What if the assailants were Karst and Agatio?" said Ivan. "And they described themselves in the third person somewhat, to make us believe that it's not them!"

"No, that's not it," said Garet, sighing and straightening up. "The voices, though muffled, were definitely different from that of Karst's and Agatio's."

"Well, we can pretty well guess that the star is on its way to the Mars Lighthouse," said Lunora. 

"Oh, no!" said Mia. They will be far ahead of us by now!"

"We've gotta move!" said Solaris, jumping. "You okay, Garet?"

"Fine," said Garet, now looking ashamed of himself for making such a scene. "I just want to get this all over with, and go back to our regular lives."

"Don't we all?" said Isaac.

"But, we mustn't think of those things now, for they will distract us," said Mia. "Let's go! Before we see the light of the beacon from within the forest!"

  
  


*******

  
  


When somebody stated that the forest was large, they truly understated its proportions. This forest wasn't large at all. It was gigantic. Almost an hour's walking, and everything still looked the same. However, they could walk without the light of a lantern, because the little daylight that filtered through the dense foliage was enough to light their way. 

Garet stared at the tress, which all looked the same to him, with an irritated expression on his face. He had contributed to the loss of the Mars Star . . . but then he thought of the encouraging words of his companions. It brought the smallest of smiles to his lips. 

  
  


"What's the bet that we're gonna get out of this forest and we'll see our ship in the distance?" said Ivan. 

"Oh relax," said Lunora, shaking him playfully. "We're not going to see the ship."

"But you're right, Ivan," said Solaris. "It looks awfully familiar."

"That's because it looks as though nothing changes, the greenery is so thick," said Isaac. "This is getting old."

"Look up above, and you'll notice a difference," said Mia. 

  
  


Everybody stopped, and looked up. The trees were just as green, and just as ordinary-looking as the others. Nobody could see anything.

  
  


"What's there to see?" said Ivan. "The trees all look-"

"It's not the trees, though," said Mia, nodding again at the tops of the trees. "Look closer."

Isaac looked, and then noticed the difference, too. "They're thinning out," he said. "I can actually see the sky now. Looks gloomy."

"But that means that we're reaching the end of the forest!" said Lunora excitedly. "Let's go!"

  
  


They all quickened their pace. Occasionally, they glanced up at the trees to see any difference. There was, surprisingly, none. But that didn't dampen their spirits. They pressed on. But then, Solaris looked up and pointed as well.

  
  


"Another difference," he said, stopping the group in their tracks. "Look at the trees this time."

  
  


Everybody looked, and this time, the difference was staring them in the face. The foliage was no longer green, but yellow. It was dying, but nobody knew why. So, they all decided to proceed without little regard to the decaying trees.

Another thing soon disturbed the usual noises of the forest. It was a low, ominous rumbling sound. It sounded oddly like fire to everybody. Then, the path sloped downward, and they could see the next ½ mile of the path. 

  
  


"Holy Hell!" shouted Isaac, who was in front. "Oh, Venus. Oh, Venus . . ."

"What is it?" asked Garet urgently. "What do you see?"

"Look!" said Isaac in a high-pitched voice. "Look at the far end of the path!"

"Oh my!" said Mia. "Mercury . . . the forest is on fire!" 

  
  


It was true. The trees, the towering trees on either side of the path, were being licked and incinerated by angry flames. Every so often, you could hear the crack of a branch as a burning limb crashed to the forest floor. Smouldering and burning branches and logs were strewn across the forest path. 

  
  


"How are we gonna get past that?" asked Ivan. 

"Well, we should leave our stuff here," said Lunora. "That way, we don't have to haul it." 

"What if it burns, though?" asked Garet.

"Then it burns, buddy," said Solaris. "I'd rather have this burn than us, because we were weighted down with this. Take only what you need: a few potions, weapons, armor, the necessities. We'll have to go through it, by the path. Running through the foliage would be a death trap."

  
  


Everybody else nodded, and dropped their bags to the forest floor with a soft *flump!*, and got ready to proceed. Isaac guided them forward once one of the logs blew out.

  
  


They ran the whole way to the wall of flame and the burning wood on the path, adrenaline rushing in all of them. It didn't take them long to reach the burning embers. Mia rushed forward and, taking some of Garet's fire Djinn, cast Deluge on the embers, putting them out, and letting off a huge cloud of steam. Then, everyone clambered quickly over the logs of fallen trees, and the larger branches. They caught quite a scare when a tree branch, leaves aflame, smashed to the ground mere inches from Ivan.

  
  


Soon, they saw that their progress was going to be severely hampered. Of course, they should have known that the same was true for the rest of the path. And it was. Charred trees and huge branches littered the path, greatly slowing down progress. But these tree limbs were smoking instead of burning. Mia was kept quite busy casting Deluge on the limbs so they would be safe to touch. 

  
  


"I'm getting sick of this," said Ivan disgustedly. "Tempest!"

  
  


He cast tempest on the logs strewn all over the path. The Tempest was strong enough to move the logs out of the way of the path, and it totally blew the branches back into the forest.

  
  


"Good call, Ivan," said Lunora. "Now, we'll be able to move quicker."

  
  


Everyone proceeded at a jogging pace. Mia was slightly tired from all the Psynergy she used, so she lagged behind slightly. Nobody even had their weapons out, for they knew that the fire would have scared all the monsters away.

  
  


"Look at the trees now," said Isaac. "Very ominous-looking, I think."

  
  


Everybody agreed with him on that one. The trees were not aflame, just black, charred, twisted figures protruding from the ground. Stumps with jagged edges form where the upper part of the tree snapped off were all over the place. You could clearly see the sky now, and the clouds had turned black. Lightning struck every so often, illuminating everything in the brightest light. 

  
  


"At last!" shouted Lunora. "There's the end of the forest right there!"

"Thank Mars!" said Garet. "I thought this forest would never end."

"Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I want it to end," said Solaris. "I don't like the looks of that sky."

  
  


Everybody looked at the sky over by the forest exit. If evil ever reigned throughout Weyard, everybody was sure that this is where they would start. The sky had red in it mixed in with the black. Red-orange lightning bolts struck every few seconds. And the sound of thunder was deafening. And another sound. It sounded like the very ground was longing to throw something up, but couldn't. TI was the sound of volcanoes erupting.

  
  


"Well, we've got to get this over with," said Mia. "No matter how much we hate it. You're right. I have a bad feeling about this."

"What about the lava plateau?" said Garet. "How are we gonna climb that?"

"Oh, dammit!" cursed Solaris. "I forgot the rope."

"Well, that's okay," said Isaac. "We've all got gloves, we can climb the better parts of the plateau." 

"Well, that's a good option if you want to commit suicide," said Lunora casually. Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Mia turned their heads sharply to face Lunora. 

"What do you mean?" asked Ivan.

"Well, naturally, if it's a lava plateau, the rock is going to be extremely hot," explained Lunora. "Even with gloves on, the heat will just burn right through them, straight to your fingers. You'll let go of the rock, fall and get your head split open, bleed profusely and . . . need I go on?"

"You're forgetting something, Lunora," said Mia. 

"What's that?" she asked, interested.

"There's a Mercury Adept traveling with you!" said Mia, grinning.

Lunora smiled. "I should have known. Well, since you're so powerful, I don't think cooling off a column of rocks should trouble you much."

"Not a problem," said Mia. "But, I'm getting hot in all these clothes. Let's move quickly, shall we?"

  
  


They all continued down the path, and soon they came to the end of the forest path. The tree shells here were still on fire here, and ash was raining down on them like snow. And the lava plateau rose out of the ground before them, little more than 50 feet high. Everybody felt their breath taken away. 

  
  


It looked as though the plateau were moving itself. Rivers, and streams of lava wound their way around the base at the top, they assumed, since lava spilled over the sides like waterfalls. And, by the looks of lava clusters suspended for a fraction of a second in midair, there were several small active volcanoes on the top, too, which proved the fact that there were volcanoes.

  
  


"Mars," said Garet. "I've never seen anything so amazing as this."

"Oh, it's so hot," said Mia, sweat already dripping down her face. Hers was not the only sweat. 

  
  


However, Garet seemed to be not taking nearly as much notice of the heat as the others were. He was a Mars Adept, after all, and heat did not bother him very much. He was looking around, mouth agape, looking at the streaming lava, which was bubbling and boiling with such intensity that it could be felt in waves of searing heat by the others.

  
  


"Look!" said Solaris suddenly. "Look at the center!"

"What?" asked Lunora. "Oh!"

  
  


There, in what they assumed to be the center of the plateau, they could see the top of the Mars Lighthouse, blood red in stone, from what they could tell. The beacon had not been lit, which to them was an enormous relief. That either meant that Karst and Agatio hadn't reached the top yet, or it meant that the star wasn't even in their possession, and they were just waiting for Isaac and company.

  
  


"Where do you think the safest place to climb the plateau is, Solaris?" asked Mia. 

Solaris had been scanning the rock the whole time, and he pointed to a shelf of jagged, but vertical rock. "There," he said. "That's where the best support is."

"Don't touch anything until I have cooled it off!" said Mia warningly to the others. "You don't mind if I take the lead, do you Isaac?"

"Why would I mind? I'd like to keep my fingers, thank you very much," said Isaac. This made Mia laugh, and kiss his gloved hand. 

  
  


She moved to the front of the group, and cast Deluge on the column of rock that they were going to climb. A sizzling could soon be heard followed by a great, billowing cloud of steam. Mia chanced the touch, but before she did, she cast one more Deluge on it, just to be safe. Another considerably smaller cloud of steam followed. After nodding to indicate that it was safe to touch, the others approached. 

  
  


Isaac retook the lead and tested out the protrusions of rock. It supported his weight with ease and slowly, he climbed the vertical incline of rock. As soon as they could, the others followed suit. Once Isaac reached the top of the plateau, he assisted the rest in getting on it too. Once they were all on the top half of the plateau, they got a good look at it.

  
  


Rivers of lava flowed everywhere, blood-red lightning struck from blood-red clouds, and it was hotter than the fiery pits of Hell. The rivers themselves were wide, and rather swift. If anyone stumbled, it would be their last. So they had to be careful. Small volcanoes erupted here and there, spurting lava which added to the rivers. In most cases, the lava rivers' sources were the volcanoes.

  
  


This time as well, they were able to catch a full glimpse of the Mars Lighthouse. It was glowing fiery red not only from the stone it was built form, but also from the reflections of light from the lava and occasional flashes of lightning. It looked truly frightening to everyone, even Garet.

  
  


"I don't think this is going to be easy," said Garet tensely. 

"This is what I imagine Hell to look like," said Solaris, shaking his head as an explosion sounded from one of the volcanoes, sending a column of lava into the air. 

"Well, how in the Hell are we gonna get over there?" said Isaac. "I don't see a direct path!"

"I can see a path to the Mars Lighthouse, but it will be tricky," said Ivan. "It's not direct, either." 

He started to instruct and point with his finger. The path included following the coast of several rivers, crossing hot spots for lightning strikes, and even around a volcano. But nobody else suggested an alternative path, so they decided to follow Ivan's course.

  
  


It was slow, but safe work. Everyone walked very slowly so they wouldn't lose their footing and perish in one of the lava rivers. The only true scare is when Garet stumbled, and Solaris saved his life by grabbing him by the waist before he fell face-first into a puddle of flaming lava.

  
  


"I'm burning up," said Ivan, wiping his forehead, sending a few bullets of sweat from his hand and forehead onto the ground. They evaporated before even making contact with the stone. "I'm swimming in my own heat . . ."

"Mia, can you cast something over our heads?" asked Lunora, her normally flowing, silver hair slick with sweat, with some of it stuck to her face in long bands.

"Good idea," said Mia, and she cast Drench on the party, which cooled them off significantly. Refreshed, they pressed onward.

"Good God," said Isaac as they neared the volcano. "I never thought I'd get to see a volcano this close. I haven't seen anything like it since Mt. Aleph erupted. And it was never this hot . . ." 

"Excuse me for saying so," said Solaris, "but does this path take us right next to the volcano?"

"Oh, yeah," said Ivan. "That's the tricky part. We have to time our movements. If we do that, we should be okay."

"Can't you cast Deluge over the top of the volcano, Mia?" asked Garet.

"No, my water will evaporate before it even touches the volcano, since it is so hot," said Mia, "and secondly, I am in the realm of Mars. My power is severely weakened."

"Well, we have no choice but to continue," said Isaac. 

  
  


The group proceeded, and got as close as they could to the volcano without being in range of the erupting lava coming form its cone. Isaac looked at the volcano, and then scanned the ground. Most unfortunately, much of the little spurts of lava seemed to land right in their path . . .

"Okay, I think I can time this thing," said Isaac. "When I say go, go. When I say stop, stop. Alright. Is everybody ready?" Everyone nodded. "Okay . . . GO!"

  
  


They all ran forward just as the lava cleared away from the path they were going to take. Suddenly, Isaac could hear a rumbling coming form within the volcano. It was going to spurt again.

  
  


"Stop!" he shouted. 

  
  


The lava spurted from the cone of the volcano, and just as it was about to land, Isaac shouted for them to go. The lava barely missed Mia, splattering at her feet, but luckily missing any parts of her body. So, they were able to make it past the volcano unscathed. A turn to the right, and they would stop right in front of the Mars Lighthouse.

  
  


"Good calls, Isaac!" said Solaris. "Good calls."

"Now, from what I'm looking at, the path from here is simple," said Mia. All we do is turn right, follow the lava river, and we come to a stop at the front door of the lighthouse?"

"That's right," said Ivan. "Let's get away from this volcano. It's unpredictable."

  
  


And sure enough, no sooner then they had moved away from the spot they were standing, a lava bomb came soaring out of the volcano, exploding in the exact spot where Lunora stood. It was a funny thing to know how Mother Nature was always so close. They knew it was only a matter of time before she hit . . .

  
  


They all made a right, and followed the bank of a lava river. It wove around jagged rocks that stuck out of the ground, and meandered all over the place before turning left just before the Mars Lighthouse. Naturally, the group stayed straight on that course, and soon came to a stop in front of the lighthouse.

  
  


"We passed the trials of fire. Now we meet the king," said Solaris.

"Huh?" asked Garet.

"It's a metaphor Garet, you- should know that there is no king in the lighthouse," said Ivan, catching himself before he called Garet an idiot. 

"Oh, okay then," said Garet, and he walked up the stone steps of the lighthouse. 

  
  


They started to climb the stone steps of the Mars Lighthouse. The steps were as cold as the steps of the Jupiter Lighthouse, and yet that was strange. All of the other rock had been hot to the touch. Now that they all thought about it, they were surprised that their boots weren't burned through. But, this stone seemed to resist the heat. 

  
  


As soon as Garet climbed the steps, the door opened. Everybody followed suit, and they were hit with a blast of air so hot that it singed their eyebrows slightly. Heat radiated form inside the lighthouse like it did from the sun on a scorching summer day. Mia handed Garet back some of his Fire Djinn, and Torch, Scorch, and Forge joined him while Fizz, Tonic and Dew went back to Mia. 

"Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the Mars Lighthouse," said Solaris. "The hottest and most fierce of them all."

"Well, isn't that great?" said Garet sarcastically. "I think we're gonna be hampered by the heat. It always makes me sluggish . . ."

"Yeah, and you're the Mars Adept!" said Mia. "You think you're going to be hot? I'm a Mercury Adept, for the Gods' sake!"

"Well, we can't do much about it," said Lunora. 

"Mia, we'll be needing you to cool all of us off," said Ivan expectantly.

"I can only do so much, so I'll have to ration my psynergy," said Mia. "Wait. I brought a few Psy Crystals with me, so I think we'll be alright."

"Good. Well, let's get this over and done with," said Isaac. "The less amount of time we spend in here, the better. It's gonna be like an inferno, I can tell already . . ." 

  
  


*********************

  
  


No cliffhanger this time (now, all of you who don't like them start cheering now, unless you want an icicle lodged in your hand . . . yes, my ice gecko is pretty pissed off for no apparant reason. I've locked him in a steel case so he doesn't kill anybody.

  
  


Anyway, let's strike up that old patented SirGecko deal. The more reviews I get, the faster I update. So, all who want chapter 17 sharpish, REVIEW! And you'll have 17. 

  
  


~SirGecko~


	17. Where Fire Reigns

Ehehehehehehe . . . yeah, it's me, SirGecko, with number 17. It's an average length, about. It's 7 1/3 pages long. 

  
  


The Mars Lighthouse is the main focus of this chapter . . . about time, too. Oh well . . . a few ramdom things to talk about next.

  
  


First off, I want to thank the flood of reviewers I got for chapter 16. I'm really enjoying seeing them. 

  
  


Next, I want to apologize for not getting this out sooner, but my schedule interfered with my time at the computer. But, it's all good, because this is chapter 17!

  
  


Now, I'm gonna tell you that only chapters 18 and 19 are complete; I'll try my best to finish 20 soon. But, the SirGecko deal will be irrelevant once we reach that point where my chapters are already complete.

  
  


Okay, disclaimer time. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, then Alex would not have died, and nether would the Proxians . . . I thought they were pretty damn cool.

  
  


Okay, onto chapter 17!

  
  


Chapter 17: Where Fire Reigns

  
  


Isaac's words could not have been more true. Stepping into the lighthouse was like walking into Hell. Fierce dragon statues were all over the place, some spitting fire. The air was thick and hot, making breathing difficult. There were two pillars on opposite sides of the room that seemed to go through the ceiling to the floor above. All in all, the environment was not friendly for a lighthouse climb.

  
  


"Oh, Jupiter, how are we going to survive this?" asked Ivan, beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.

"We'll be fine," said Mia. "Garet, hand me some Fire Djinn again."

  
  


Garet handed over four Mars Djinn to Mia, and Mia handed over four Mercury Djinn to Garet. Now, she could use Deluge again.

  
  


She strode over to one of the dragon statues, and cast Deluge on it. "This might help a little."

  
  


The dragon flame sputtered and died as the power of Mercury hit it. It remained unlit for a few seconds, and then the flame returned, barely missing Mia, who was able to leap out of the way just in time. 

  
  


"That's funny," she said after she caught her breath. "The flame didn't stay out."

"The power of the Mars Lighthouse is too great for that," said Garet wisely. "We must hurry up."

"Wait!" said Isaac. "Don't forget the stone tablet here in the middle of the room!"

"Oh, yeah, like they have anything good to say," said Garet sarcastically. "I hate those damn things."

"Shut up and get over here," snapped Isaac. 

  
  


Garet sighed, and slouched over to the rest of the group, who were all studying the stone tablet. Garet snuck to the front, and started to read the words aloud.

  
  


Ye who seek to climb the Mars Lighthouse . . . must do so using pure resistance, sheer willpower, and split-second agility. Proceed with all three, and you will pass my fiery test. The heat in itself will be nearly unbearable. If ye do not have the proper resistence, ye will fall to me. Good luck, Adepts of Renown, and brave my fiery lighthouse!

  
  


"Not cool!" said Ivan. "Not cool at all. No pun intended." Lunora giggled.

"Well, at least we don't have to go through any more mazes," said Isaac. "That's a relief."

"This doesn't sound so bad," said Garet. "I mean, compared to those damn mazes." 

"Speak for yourself," said Mia, casting Deluge over them all.

"I told you that you'd be the wimps here," said Garet triumphantly. "Remember? You were-"

"We know, okay?! We know! You were right! We're the wimps now! So sue me!" said Isaac nastily. "Let's go. It's so hot, my temper's making like the weather." 

  
  


Mia giggled, and shot a stream of water at him. Isaac sighed with content as the water splashed his face, and closed his eyes. But then, it stopped.

  
  


"Aw damn, that felt go-" But he was cut off when Mia kissed him so he could no longer speak. She pulled away after a few seconds, and licked her lips. 

"Let's get going before we fry," said Solaris. "Plenty of time for that later. But we have to find Karst and Agatio, and make sure that they don't have the star."

"Right," said Lunora. "We'd better move!"

  
  


They walked through the door at the opposite end of the room, and into another room with small lava columns rising into the air, and several stone pillars. They had encountered this many times before, repress the spurts, and the door opens. There were only six pillars, so everybody took one each and shoved them over the spurts of lava. The door leading up the stairs opened as soon as all the statues were in place. 

  
  


As they tramped up the stairs, they could actually feel the temperature of the air rising. It was hot enough as it was outside of the lighthouse, so they didn't know how they were going to bear it when they reached the top floors of the lighthouse. Soon though, they arrived in the next room.

  
  


A dragon head moved back and forth along a track in the wall, spurting flame. A much larger, fiercer looking dragon head was lying on the ground with a track leading to itself, from a torch bracket, that appeared to be lit every time the flame went by it. The pillars that they had all noticed in the first room were here too, and they looked like they continued up to the 3rd floor.

  
  


That moment was soon to come. The flame lit the torch, and the flame on the torch traveled to the dragon head. What followed made everyone leap out of the way of the mouth of the dragon. A humongous fireball emitted from the dragon's mouth, and shot itself at the opposite wall. Everyone dove to the floor as the fireball exploded against the wall above their heads, searing their clothing and passing an extremely hot wave of heat over them all. They got to their feet on the opposite side of the fireball's path, and climbed the stairs onto a high ledge, where the torch lay.

  
  


"Now, we have to find some way to block the torch," said Isaac. "The door is on the other side of the flame, and the flame is as long as the platform is wide. So, if we tried to run for it, we'd be burned, since the flame fans out from the mouth, otherwise we could just duck."

"So what do you suggest we do?" asked Ivan. "Hurry up, I'm drowning in my own sweat."

"Me too," said everyone else, and Mia cast Deluge over everyone. Normally, this would have hurt the party, but it was a major refresher, a welcome relief to the searing heat.

"There's that statue over there," said Solaris, pointing at a statue of a dragon up against the wall about ten feet away from them all. "We can block the flame at one point, and use that split-second of time to run past and go into the next room." 

  
  


Everyone agreed that this was a good idea. Solaris approached the statue and tried to push it, but it wouldn't budge. He tried again, throwing his whole weight all his considerable strength into the statue, but it still wouldn't move an inch. 

  
  


"Well, damn," said Solaris walking back and wiping his forehead with his hand. "I'm not strong enough to move it myself. Garet, run the show."

"My pleasure," said Garet, who walked forward and cast Move. 

  
  


The statue moved forward by the force of the telekinetic hand pushing it. He stopped it right at their end of the dragon's track. The dragon head was at the far end of the track, and another fireball just exploded against the wall.

  
  


"Now, when the flame is blocked by the statue, run like Hell for the other end," said Isaac. "We can surely outrun it, even when we're hot."

  
  


Everybody waited for the dragon flame to disappear behind the statue. It seemed to take an age, but finally the head moved closer to the statue. After another few long seconds, the flame disappeared . . . 

  
  


"Run now!" shouted Isaac, and he and the others ran as fast as they could past the blocked flame. It was hot on the tail of Mia for a second, but she outstripped it easily. When they were all clear of the flame for certain, they all walked through the doorway into the next room. 

  
  


This room had but a single light statue and a hole in the ground next to it where the statue belonged. A column of fire blazed just in front of the passageway leading to the stairs. Garet moved the statue into the hole in the ground, the column of fire burnt out, allowing passage through the doorway.

  
  


"Garet, you still haven't learned the fundamentals of exploring, have you?" said Isaac.

"What? What did I miss?" said Garet. 

"There's a Mars Djinni in the corner over there!" said Isaac.

"Oh! Well, why didn't you say so?" said Garet, snickering at his own joke. They all ran forward to the Mars Djinni.

  
  


"My name is Fugue," said the Mars Djinni squeakily. "I sense great power in all of you, but I want to see it for myself. On order for me to join you, you will battle me!"

  
  


They fought the Mars Djinni, and the whole group had to give up the fact that it was an easy fight. The Djinni could withstand a lot of attacks, and dish out a lot of damage. And it didn't help that Isaac and company were all exhausted on energy . . . but they managed to defeat the Djinni in the end.

  
  


"You are powerful, but I want names," said the Djinni. Everyone said their name. "I see. Well, Garet, I am yours!" And Fugue joined the rest of Garet's Djinn, and they all began to get to know Fugue. They all soon found out that Fugue was pretty cool. 

They climbed the stairs to the third floor of the lighthouse, the temperature rising even more. Mia cast another Deluge over the party as they emerged into this room, stone pillars rising out of the ground and through the ceiling once again. This room was a pipe-puzzle.

  
  


"The flame goes into the next room when the pipes are connected properly," said Ivan, walking around the pipes, inspecting them. "This looks straightforward to me. All we have to do is roll the pipes one direction and we connect the flame. Let's get going!"

  
  


So, they all got together, two to a pipe, and rolled them in place. The flame quickly traveled to the end of the now connected flame tube and into the next room. They then followed the flame into the next room.

  
  


Upon entering, they found that the flame was fueling another dragon head moving along the wall. Another humongous dragon head was facing a crack in the wall, with a torch behind it. Soon, they saw the dragon head on the wall light the torch, and send the flame to the stationary dragon head. It fired another large fireball, which collided against the cracked wall. When the flame from the explosion cleared, they found the wall blasted away to reveal the passageway beyond.

  
  


"Now that, right there, is why I love this lighthouse," said Garet. "Power is knowledge."

"Knowledge is power, idiot," said Ivan. "And our knowledge blasted us a hole in a wall leading up to more dangerous parts of the lighthouse. Great. Shall we go?"

"Yes!" said Lunora, and she motioned for Isaac to lead them up the stairs to the fourth floor. 

  
  


The temperature had now climbed to a nearly unbearable level. Mia had to cast Deluge every few minutes now, and she had already used one Psy Crystal on herself. But of all of them, she was the most drained. Isaac truly admired her for her persistence to keep everybody safe from heat stroke. But then, he would have done everything in his power to do the same even if she weren't there. 

  
  


In this room, the stone pillars rose out of the ground and through the ceiling once again, a common thing to see in this lighthouse now. There were stationary dragon heads poking out of the walls now, each spitting fire in a pattern all the way across the narrow room in another fan-shaped pattern. 

  
  


"Okay, we obviously have to get past the flames," said Garet. "It's a timing issue now."

"Okay, the left ones spit first, then the right ones," said Solaris. "All we have to do is stay in the path with the one that isn't spitting, and then run forward when the one in front of us stops!"

"We've done that before countless times," said Lunora. "What's different about this time?"

"We'll be on fire if we screw up, that's what's different," said Isaac, sweat dripping from his chin, his clothes soaked with a mix of sweat and water. "We can't screw up. We'll die of overheating before we even reach the top!"

"Let's get moving!" said Mia, approaching the flames spurting out in front of her. The rest were quick to follow.

They all approached the front spurt of fire, and when it died, they ran right into its path, if it were blazing. When the one in front of them died, they moved into that path, and so on and so on. It took them a few minutes to reach the other side of the room, but they did unscathed, just considerably hotter.

  
  


"Hell, that was close," said Solaris. "Too close every time."

"Right you are," said Isaac, wiping his sweaty forehead with his equally sweaty hand. "Let's go to the next room."

  
  


And they did. This was much in the same, only this time the humongous dragon heads were on either side of the room, spitting fireballs the size of Solaris and Garet combined. This timing was much more crucial, since getting hit by one of those fireballs would mean a lot more than burns.

  
  


"Okay, we could pretty much sprint the whole thing if we were truly desperate, but that would be something that only true idiots would do," said Isaac. We have to wait for the fireball in front of us to go past. It's as simple as that."

"Don't let the nerves get to you, everybody," advised Lunora. "If you're nervous, you're more likely to make a mistake. And, unless you're willing to die, that's not a mistake you want to make."

"It's gonna be pretty hard to calm down though, when so much more than our own lives is at risk," said Ivan.

Lunora put a hand up to his cheek, like she had done in his cabin. "I know. But if you truly concentrate that, that will brighten your spirits rather than dim them. Think hard now, everybody." 

She passed the tips of her soft, sweaty fingers over Ivan's lips which he kissed softly. But nobody noticed; they were all too busy concentrating. 

  
  


When Isaac nodded that he was ready, so did everybody else. So they all approached the front line, waiting for the first large fireball to blaze past them. When it did, everybody ran forward. 

  
  


This room was much larger, and the timing more careful, so it took longer to cross to the other side this time. Maybe about five minutes or so, but it didn't matter. They were all safe. So, after collecting themselves, with the fire to their back and the passage leading on to their front, they proceeded up the stairs to the fifth floor of the lighthouse.

  
  


This staircase was a little bit longer than the rest they had climbed, and the temperature rose to unbearable levels of heat. Mia Cast Deluge over everybody, just after using a second Psy Crystal. Then, they arrived in the fifth floor room.

  
  


The first thing they noticed was that the stone pillars had stopped once they hit this floor. There were no pillars anymore, and the room was completely empty of any fire. There was a stone tablet rising up out of the ground in front of them, and a staircase behind it. When they looked here, they noticed the biggest difference.

  
  


They had wondered briefly why the ceilings of this lighthouse were so low. Well, now they knew. They had about 1/3 of the lighthouse still to climb, but all there was to reach the top was a single staircase. 

  
  


"Something's not right here," said Mia.

"Yeah, I mean, why would there just be a staircase leading to the top, and nothing in the way?" said Ivan. "It isn't like the others."

"Well, let's read the stone tablet, and maybe we can find out," said Garet. He walked to the tablet, and began to read the inscription on it.

  
  


I congratulate ye on reaching the final floor of the Mars Lighthouse. But your trials are not over yet. Ye will see a staircase leading to the top. Once ye touch the first five steps . . . run. Run like your lives depend on it. Because they do . . . Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . .

  
  


"Of course," said Ivan. "The lighthouse has something to hide. Well, I don't see where we'd go if we just stood here and mused for an hour. Let's face it!"

"Yeah, we'll cook in an hour anyway," said Lunora. "Probably less."

So, the team made their way to the staircase. It looked perfectly ordinary to everybody, except for the first five steps. They were thicker, and somehow looked different. Isaac stepped forward, and climbed the first five steps.

  
  


Instantly, they could hear a rumbling coming from far below, seeming to come from the first floor. But the rumbling sound seemed to creep closer. And closer. Soon, the sound was right under them, and the floor had started to vibrate very slightly. 

  
  


Then, it was upon them. Two sections in the floor where the pillars had been opened, and lava gushed into the room! It was filling at a frighteningly fast pace. Isaac scrambled further up, and the others got onto the first few steps of the staircase. 

  
  


"Um, this can't be good," said Garet, the lava engulfing the first step. The temperature rose uncontrollably. 

"We can go now!" said Isaac, and he scrambled on all fours up the steps, everyone else hot on his tail.

  
  


Because of this sudden movement, they were able to put a good distance between themselves and the lava creeping up the stairs after them. But, like every living thing, Isaac and company soon began to run low on what little energy they had. They were going slightly slower, and the climb was only half-finished. 

  
  


Soon, they went from matching the speed of the lava go going slower. Which meant that the lava crept up the stairs, hot on their tail. It was mere feet away from them all.

  
  


"C'mon, dammit!" Isaac urged himself, pouring all his energy into his arms and legs. This seemed to speed him up very slightly. But it wasn't enough to go faster than the lava. They had about 50 more steps to go.

  
  


Ivan was behind all the rest, on all fours like a forest monkey, climbing as fast as his body would allow. But the lava kept catching up with him. It was only two feet away. Then it was one foot away, and the soles of his leather boots had actually caught fire. 

  
  


Then, without warning, he burst onto the top platform, rolling right into Solaris, who almost fell over. The lava stopped five stairs down. Everybody stood, gasping for breath, clutching their sides. Or in Ivan's case, seeking Mia help to put his boots out. She did more than that, and cast Deluge on them all, and kept casting it on the lava until she nearly pushed herself to the point of collapse. She used the last Psy Crystal on herself, which replenished most of her lost energy.

  
  


"Oh Hell, that was close," gasped Solaris, leaning over the railing on the platform.

"My boots are on fire!" shouted Ivan, which got Mia's attention. She cast Douse on the flames, and they went out instantly, with a sizzle.

"Now that we have escaped mortal danger for about the 100th time this quest . . ." said Garet. "Is the 101th time the charm?"

"I sure hope not," said Lunora. "We have many dangers to overcome before we're done with this quest."

"And one of them's right above us," said Mia, nodding at the ceiling. That got everybody quiet.

Isaac, having finally caught his breath after about five minutes, really took in his surroundings. Lava surrounded him on all sides, and the platform they were on was suspended from the roof of the lighthouse. A mystical platform, like the ones that had taken them to the Aerie. But most importantly, there was a stone tablet in front of the mystical platform.

  
  


"Guys, look! Another tablet!" he said, pointing it out to the others. 

"I'll read it," said Garet. "This is my lighthouse."

  
  


Congratulations. Ye have passed your final test. Now, since you have proven your worth, you may ascend to the heavens! 

  
  


And underneath that, was the answer to the segmented message that they had been given at the other two lighthouses. Finally.

  
  


Ancient Lemuria

  
  


"That's it!" said Solaris excitedly. "The Sol Lighthouse is in Ancient Lemuria! It fits! At last, we know where the Sol Lighthouse is!"

"This is great!" said Isaac excitedly. "We'll be heading to Lemuria after this!"

  
  


Everyone celebrated by giving each other hugs, or in Isaac's and Mia's cases, a kiss. They didn't jump around, because they didn't want to fall off the platform. 

  
  


After everybody stopped celebrating this great news, they settled down, and looked determinedly at the mystical platform. It was time.

  
  


What happened next was enough to shut everybody up at once. They froze in their positions exactly when this event occurred. Isaac had his hands in the air. Garet's mouth was agape. Mia was standing on one foot, her body leaning to the right. They knew what had happened.

  
  


The brilliant flash of red light that had just temporarily blinded them, and the sharp quake of the lighthouse could mean only one thing: that Karst, Agatio, and Alex had lit the beacon of Mars Lighthouse. Isaac and the rest had failed once again . . . failed for the fifth time in a row. Everyone got back into a normal position. 

  
  


"Shit!" roared Solaris. "Why? Why can we not succeed?"

"How did they get the star?" said Isaac expressionlessly. "How . . . how . . ."

"This is no time for delay, guys!" said Lunora urgently. "We failed to prevent the lighting of the beacon. But we can prevent the lighting of the Sol lighthouse by defeating the others right here!"

"She's right," said Ivan seriously. "Let's get moving, before we really lose all hope." 

"Right," said Isaac, seeming to snap out of his reverie. "We mustn't show mercy people, because we won't get any in return. Especially when the others are at their elemental lighthouse. We're gonna have our work cut out for us."

"I'm a Mars Adept though," said Garet. "Aside form the fact that my clothes are saturated, I've never felt so powerful."

"That'll be good for the fight against Alex, then," said Solaris. "Here, he shouldn't be too difficult. Water doesn't function fully here."

"Well, doesn't that make me feel good," said Mia sarcastically. "I'm not angry at you Solaris. I'm frustrated at the fact that I will not be able to heal as well as I wold normally."

"I know," said Solaris. "You'd better watch yourself. Agatio and Karst are going to be almost invincible here."

"Weapons at the ready," said Isaac. "We shouldn't underestimate them this time. Karst and Agatio will be at the peak of their power at this lighthouse."

  
  


Weapons glinting orange off the bubbling lava, they all stepped onto the platform. It jolted as it stated to move upward. Everyone was now stony faced, think about what was ahead. It was time to fight raw power.

  
  


**********************

  
  


The following chapter may yet be one of my most . . . well, intense. Probably not THE most, that was Luna Lighthouse. But, you'll like the next one. I can guarantee that.

  
  


Now, remember the SirGecko deal. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Or . . . (points to the flame-gecko, who's wearing a mini-black baseball cap with a skull and crossbones on it) you don't wanna know. 

  
  


~SirGecko~ 


	18. No Chance

HOO RAH! Yeah, it's me, SirGecko, back again with chapter 18. Yes, I know quite a few of you have been waiting for this, so here it is. 

  
  


First, I'd like to thank my reviewers, once again. Your support is, as always, greatly appreciated. 

  
  


Now, for a disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, well, there'd be movies made out of the best GS fics on this site. 

  
  


Okay, now onto talk about chapter 18. Yes, it's the third big battle between Karst, Agatio, and Alex = vs = Isaac and company. This will be intense. Maybe not very, it's your call, but it will be intense. Packed with 7 1/3 pages of action . . . OW! . . . My ice gecko told me to stop acting like an advertiser . . . and for once, I'm gonna listen without challenging them to a duel.

  
  


Now, onto chapter 18! 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 18: No Chance

  
  


"That is it then," said Karst, turning her back on the brilliant red swirl of Mars energy that was hovering over the well. "We have no more business here. Let's go."

"But, what about Isaac and the others?" said Agatio. "What should we do with them?"

"Ignore them!" snapped Karst. "If we leave now, then we can beat them to the Sol Lighthouse just as easily, and finish this quest without their interference."

"But they are a threat," said Agatio. "A dangerous one. This is the place where we could take them down, Karst! We are at the Mars Lighthouse! They cannot win against us; we are the most powerful warriors in Prox!"

"I know that, and I want to get them out of our way too, but sometimes you have to use brains rather than brawn, Agatio!" said Karst angrily. "I know we could defeat them here. We are Mars Adepts, and even I am hot from the searing heat of both the lighthouse and the plateau. Overall, do you really think it a wise decision to fight Isaac and the others?"

"Well . . . I guess you're right, once again," said Agatio, in a defeated tone of voice. "Let's go. I bet Alex is getting a little impatient with us."

"You're not going anywhere," said a voice behind them that they knew all to well by now.

  
  


Isaac was walking towards them, with the rest of his followers behind him. They all had their weapons out, and were looking more determined than Karst or Agatio had ever seen them. It was hotter than Isaac and company had ever experienced before, enough to make you drip sweat in bullets constantly. But, this only made Karst laugh.

  
  


"You are such fools," she said, drawing out her scythe. "We were not going to fight you, and just move on to the Sol Lighthouse to finish this, but if a fight is what you want, then a fight is what you'll get!"

"We are at the Mars Lighthouse," said Agatio. "We are twice as powerful as we'd normally be, maybe even more. And you still wish to challenge us?"

"Yes," said Solaris. "I know it seems foolish, but with experience comes knowledge, and with knowledge comes power. I need not remind you that Sol Adepts are also fueled by this lighthouse?"

"But by only half as much!" said Agatio gleefully. "So, little brother of Saturos, you will die by the tip of my Sol Blade!"

  
  


These few words caught everybody off guard. Agatio drew out a sword equal to that in size and shape of Solaris's, only this one had an orange tint to it. Garet stared open-mouthed at the blade, and when Isaac looked over at him, he could see the longing in his face. 

  
  


"I take it Solaris has told you of my skill with this blade?" said Agatio happily. 

"He has," said Isaac. "But it doesn't block Psynergy, as I recall!"

"Where's Alex?" asked Mia.

"He hung back, and is waiting at the bottom of the lighthouse," explained Karst. "He wisely chose not to fight here, since he knew that he would probably be defeated if he were double-teamed."

"Coward," said Lunora.

"Fools!" snapped Agatio.

  
  


And so the battle began. Isaac, Garet, and Solaris engaged Agatio, and Mia, Ivan, and Lunora took on Karst. It was decided that it would be an even match of sorts, since the Proxians were not to be defeated easily.

  
  


The lighthouse seemed to give Karst and Agatio more than elemental strength. Both were able to dodge and/or block three opposing weapons, and land dangerously close blows on one of their opponents with the sword. It had everybody as alert as could be.

  
  


Karst was the first to cast psynergy. She knocked Ivan back, and then cast Supernova on him, Mia, and Lunora. It was the hottest moment of their life, twice as hot as the peak temperature in the Lamarkan Desert that they had crossed so long ago. 

  
  


When it was finally all over, all three had raw patches on their faces and black marks all over their exposed skin and clothing. Their outer garments were charred, and it was all that Ivan, Lunora, and Mia could do to remain standing.

  
  


"Oh, I am on fire!" quipped Karst gleefully. 

  
  


She then lunged at Lunora, and made a vertical slice through the air right at her. Karst's aim was true. The scythe sunk to the handle straight into her left hip. Lunora screamed with pain and dropped to the ground, which caused the scythe to slide out of her soft, pale skin. She weakly put her hands over the slice in her side, a dark stream of red liquid oozing between her long, slender fingers. She lay back, sweating harder than ever, and passed out.

  
  


Ivan leaped forward to hold Karst off for as long as he could while Mia bent over Lunora to try and heal her wounds. She was able to stop the flow of blood, but that didn't replace what she'd lost. She looked paler than ever and she remained unconscious, her breath sharp and ragged.

  
  


Ivan had his work cut out for him as he fought Karst. She, having gained knowledge of Ivan agility and tactics, was now untouchable. Ivan spent almost all of his time dodging, and when he was able to make an attack, it usually missed or was blocked by Karst.

  
  


"You have skill, Ivan," said Karst. "But not enough to best both me and this lighthouse!"

"I'll fight you until you run out of energy, Karst," said Ivan angrily. "You stabbed Lunora. You'll pay for this."

"Oh, so what if she was the first to go?" said Karst scornfully. "You'll be soon to follow, little boy. I could easily cast a psynergy that will make you wither and shrivel like a leaf on a fall day. Is that what you want?"

"You won't be saying that when I'm the last one left standing," said Ivan, dodging a swing of Karst's scythe.

"Excuse me, but I think that I'll be the one left standing at this lighthouse," said Karst. "I am of the Fire Clan of the North! And you, Ivan . . . are dead!"

  
  


And with that, she cast Fiery Blast on Ivan. The psynergy blew him back, away from Karst. Ivan crashed to the floor of the Mars Lighthouse, just managing to keep his sword in such a position that he wouldn't land on it. That was the last thing he would do in this battle. Bleeding from the raw patches of skin on his face, he lay motionless, the blood dripping onto the stone of the lighthouse occasionally.

  
  


"Ah. Two down, one to go!" said Karst, swing her scythe casually. "Mia, are you next?"

"I surrender," said Mia, putting down her staff and backing away from Karst. 

"N-no, Mia," came a weak voice from the ground. It was Lunora. "You must fight, even if you know you'll lose."

"Lunora, I know when to quit," said Mia. "I have the least fighting ability of all of us, I'm at my opposing lighthouse, and my opponent is at her same lighthouse? I have no chance. No, I'm not going to fight her."

"Well, Mia, if t-that's your decision, then I c-cant argue," rasped Lunora, and she passed out again.

"That's the first smart thing I've heard from any of you," said Karst. "You ought to be recognized for that."

"You're right, I did say that I wouldn't fight you," said Mia, getting up and picking up her staff. Karst got in a ready position for battle, just in case. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to help the others in their fight against Agatio!"

  
  


And before Karst could do anything to stop her, Mia sprinted off towards where Agatio, Isaac, Garet, and Solaris were doing battle. Amazingly, none of them had fallen yet, as both Garet and Solaris were able to withstand the searing heat somewhat. But, Isaac looked pretty close to going down.

  
  


"I'm here, Isaac," said Mia, casting Pure Ply on him. "Need any help?"

"Anything, good to see you Mia," said Isaac, not taking his eyes off Agatio or any of his maneuvers. "How are the others?"

"See for yourself. I'll hold off Agatio," said Mia.

  
  


Isaac looked over to where the other battle had taken place. He saw Lunora unconscious with a small pool of drying blood at her side, and Ivan, looking like he just stepped out of Hell. Then he saw Karst, making her way swiftly over to Agatio. Isaac knew now that it was a four-on-two battle. He braced himself for a double onslaught.

  
  


"Well, I see you took care of Ivan and Lunora," said Agatio casually to Karst as she stepped by his side. Agatio was swinging the Sol Blade as if it were made of nothing but the lightest metal known to man. "Excellent. Now defeating these four should be no problem."

"Well, we'll see about that," said Solaris, and he cast Sunbeam on Karst and Agatio. They reeled back as the energy hit them, but soon came back into the fray, swing their weapons like nothing had happened.

Isaac had never fought a tougher battle. Both Karst and Agatio were at the height of their power, psynergy limitless, power at maximum. Isaac didn't see any way to win the fight. He cared about his Djinn too much to risk them in battle, but risks and chance were all he had now.

  
  


"Flint! Go get Karst!" said Isaac. 

"You got it boss!" came a determined squeak from under his tunic. 

  
  


An orangish-brown streak came flying out from Isaac and smacked hard into Karst. The small little Djinni was actually able to knock Karst off her feet. Solaris leapt forward, ready to drive his Sol Blade straight into Karst's heart. But a now-familiar handle came up and knocked his sword out from his hands. 

  
  


An equal sword had stopped his own, and Solaris's Sol Blade flew ten feet into the air, and plunged downward. He tried to warn Mia, but she didn't move out of the way in time. The blade pointed straight downward, and embedded itself in Mia's right foot. She screamed with shock and pain, dropping her staff with a clatter, and dropped to the ground, clutching her injured foot.

  
  


"No!" shouted Solaris. "That was not supposed to happen! I'm so sorry Mia!"

"It's not your fault!" said Mia through gritted teeth. 

"Wow, a double whammy!" said Agatio. "I admit . . . I've forgotten how good I was with this blade!"

"Thanks, Agatio," said Karst, getting to her feet and brushing herself off casually. "Now, if I'm correct, don't we have some business to finish?"

"That we do!" said Agatio, and he raised his sword in a ready position.

"Solaris! I need to help Mia! Take Karst for me, and I'll be there as soon as I can!" said Isaac, bending down towards Mia.

"You got it, Isaac," said Solaris, and he left Garet to deal with Agatio while he engaged Karst.

  
  


Isaac got on his knees, hotter than he'd ever been in his life, and cast Potent Cure on her foot. The wound healed itself, but Isaac knew without a doubt that Mia would not be walking on that foot for a day at least.

  
  


"I'm okay, Isaac," lied Mia. "Honestly. Go back and help Solaris and Garet."

"No, I have more important things to take care of first," said Isaac. "Let's see if we can't fix up that foot." 

"Thank you Isaac," said Mia gratefully.

  
  


She held out a bloody hand to Isaac, who took it, and helped her to her one good foot. She and Isaac hobbled over to the steps leading up to the swirling ball of Mars energy, with Isaac's assistance, of course, and sat down upon them.

"Will you be okay here?" said Isaac, helping her sit without injuring herself. 

"As okay as I'll ever be," said Mia, as cheerfully as she could muster. "But you really should get back there and help the others."

"I will, I just wanted to get you out of the way, so you don't get hurt even more," said Isaac. 

  
  


Mia smiled at him, and then reached up and pulled Isaac's head towards her own. She gave him a soft, sweet kiss, the tip of her tongue tracing Isaac's lips. Isaac broke it off rather quickly though, because even though he wanted to keep going until he ran out of breath, he had to help Solaris and Garet fight Karst and Agatio, before they joined Ivan and Lunora on the ground. 

  
  


"Go then, before it's too late," said Mia. "I'll . . . just wait here."

"Right," said Isaac. He ran off to join Garet and Solaris.

  
  


The fight was more difficult now with the loss of Mia. Isaac shot a few clay spires at both Karst and Agatio as he ran back into the battle, but they were both able to block the spires, shattering them to dust.

  
  


"Dammit!" said Isaac. "Nothing's getting through to these guys."

"Too much for you?" said Agatio happily, fending off a blow from Garet's giant Axe. "Then, let's end this now! Megiddo!"

  
  


Isaac and Garet looked around, but stopped when they saw the horrified look on Solaris's face. He pointed upward, and Isaac and Garet followed his direction. Their mouths dropped.

  
  


A humongous meteor, larger than the swirl of Mars Energy over the Mars Lighthouse's well, was hurtling itself downward towards Isaac, Garet, and Solaris, a long, evil-looking tail of swirling flame following its course. Isaac, Garet, and Solaris didn't even have time to dodge. The impact came soon afterwards, followed by Mia's scream of surprise.

  
  


The explosion knocked all three back towards the edge of the lighthouse; they rolled and rolled on the ground until they were all able to hang onto the ground with their fingers, scraping the tips of their fingers raw, using their last spurt of energy. After coming to a halt, they didn't move again. They were conscious, but only just. They didn't have enough energy to move a leg, let alone stand.

  
  


"Well, that was quite a simple, decided battle, Karst," said Agatio, sighing deeply.

"Yes, very," said Karst. "And it was thanks largely in part to this lighthouse, not to mention our knowledge of their fighting style."

"Now, since we have them at our mercy, I think we should just finish them off," said Agatio.

"A sound plan, Agatio," nodded Karst. "I think Alex will be most pleased when he hears that we have disposed of the opposition. So, she picked up her scythe in a battle position, and made her way over towards Mia. 

  
  


Mia sat there, hardly moving, watching with somewhat frightened eyes as Karst approached her, scythe stained red with Lunora's blood. Finally, she saw Karst stop in front of her.

"You have breathed your last breath, Mia of Imil," she said seriously. "I'll see you in Hell!"

  
  


Mia braced herself, waiting to feel the warm metal pierce her flesh, the white-hot pain that she would feel, then the cloudiness . . . she closed her eyes, waiting . . . and waiting . . . 

  
  


She heard a scream of pain, but it was not her own. That sound, that unearthly scream could never come from her mouth. She opened her eyes, and saw Karst lying on the ground, moaning in agony. And yet there was no blood. 

  
  


But then she saw them. Eight little Mercury Djinn had rammed themselves full-force into Karst's chest. They zoomed around both Mia and Karst, and were standing by for a summon. Mia breathed a sigh of relief.

  
  


Over where Agatio was, Lunora had just woken up, to see Agatio standing over her, with the Sol Blade . . . the Sol Blade?! What the Hell . . . only Solaris had the blade! But then, she remembered . . . oh, how remembering caused the pain to her head right now . . . but she remembered that the other Sol Blade had been lost in the Mars Lighthouse. Agatio must have found it.

  
  


"Well, Lunora, rightfully Alex should be ending your miserable life," said Agatio. "But, since he is absent . . . I will do so for him. It's time to say goodbye!" 

  
  


But then, she saw eight silvery Djinn fly from her person, and smash themselves head-on into Agatio. Agatio, stunned by this new attack, fell backward . . . and the Sol Blade flew out of his hands, and landed ten feet away, skidding towards Garet.

  
  


Garet heard metal scraping against the stone, moving in his direction. So, using all his remaining strength, he opened his eyes and lifted his head, just enough to see a sword skidding in his direction. Blindly, by instinct, he threw out his hand and tried to stop the sword. Luckily for him, he timed his grab so that a second later, he was holding onto the hilt of the second Sol Blade. He felt its energy, and it seemed to rejuvenate his own slightly. He couldn't believe his luck. The Sol Blade was his unless Agatio claimed it back, by force. But he seemed preoccupied at the moment.

  
  


Agatio struggled to his feet, but he didn't get very far. Lunora had sat up as well, wincing with pain and raised her arms to the heavens. She cried out her last hope for survival.

  
  


"I summon Io!" she shouted. But then, she heard Mia's voice as well. And she seemed to be calling a God of her own.

"I summon Boreas!" Mia cried.

  
  


And that is where the tides of the battle turned. Or so they thought. Just before the embers began to erupt under Agatio, and just before the humongous shards of ice from the heavens began to fall, Karst and Agatio disappeared, and the summons missed altogether. But, the important thing was that they were gone. Lunora's and Mia's Djinn had saved all of their lives. 

"Lunora!" shouted Mia. She was hopping over to her on her one good foot. "Are you okay?" 

"I am, sort of. But Ivan, Garet, Isaac, and Solaris aren't," said Lunora. "You heal them up. Then, we can try and make our way out of here." 

  
  


Mia hobbled over to Isaac first, and cast Pure Ply on him, to get a bit of his energy back. When Isaac responded in a manner that Mia knew meant he was strong enough to stand with assistance, she helped him gingerly to his feet, and checked him over thoroughly.

  
  


"I'm okay Mia . . . now," said Isaac, grabbing one of her saintly hands and kissing it gently. He still had hand-prints of Mia's on his cheek, the prints outlined in her own blood, but he didn't have the energy yet to wipe them off. 

"Let's go tend to the others," he suggested. "It looks like they took quite a beating. Even more than us . . . and especially Ivan."

"I'm going to take care of Ivan," said Mia, looking back as she hopped towards Ivan. "You're right. He looks the worst out of all of you."

"Good. You're the best healer, and he needs the best care," said Isaac. "I'll tend to Garet and Solaris."

  
  


He got up, gingerly looking at his raw, red arms. The searing wind that blew now was making the stinging on his arms almost unbearable, enough to tear him up. But, he went over and cast Potent Cure on Garet, and helped him to his feet. His exposed skin was also raw, except for his face, which he smartly covered with his arm.

  
  


"Hey, Isaac!" said Garet excitedly, practically bouncing up and down as soon as he was helped to his feet. But Isaac was busy reviving Solaris. "Look! Everybody!"

  
  


Everybody who was revived turned; Ivan still remained motionless. They all felt their mouths drop as Garet revealed the Sol Blade. 

  
  


"Guess who's got the second Sol Blade!" he said excitedly. 

"Well, Garet, now we've got this whole Sol thing down pat, don't we?" chuckled Solaris from the ground. 

"Hell yeah!" cheered Garet. "We have the Sol Blades!"

"Whoa, isn't that sweet?" said a new weak voice.

  
  


Ivan had finally woken up. He had red, raw patches on his face and hands, and his Kikuichimonji hilt was stained with blood form his own burned hands. He lifted his head slowly, and stared at the blade. 

  
  


"I think Ivan's awake," said Lunora happily. 

  
  


She got to her feet and, limping badly on the leg of the same side which she was stabbed on, helped Ivan to his feet. Ivan looked horrible. He had raw patches all over his face, and his hands were red, not only with blood, but also with raw skin. Lunora kissed his raw hand as she helped him up.

  
  


"Well, now that we look like we've walked through the fires of Hell," said Isaac. "I don't think we'll be going anywhere."

"At least get us off the top of this lighthouse," said Solaris, panting. "If I'm not gonna die from the battle, then I'll overheat."

  
  


Isaac nodded, and as soon as everybody was ready, he cast Retreat, and that took them to the bottom of the lighthouse. They welcomed the cooler, but still hot temperature with gratefulness, arms open to the angry sky. 

  
  


All knew that they were in no shape to travel so, with great difficulty, they stripped themselves from as much clothing and armor as they could without being naked, and collapsed form exhaustion on the cold stone floor of the lighthouse. They didn't even care about the striking lightning 100 feet away . . . 

  
  


***************************

  
  


Well, they survived . . . but only just. They really got their butts kicked this time . . . oh well. At least they're alive.

  
  


Remember the SirGecko deal! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!! 


	19. Driven By Hope Or Lack Thereof

Yes, just for your information, I am not dead! It is I, SirGecko, back with number 19. Now, before I go into detail about this chapter, there are a few Items of business I wish to take care of first.

  
  


First off, thanks to the reviewers. I greatly appreciate your support. 

  
  


IMPORTANT: This is the last completed chapter I have, so from now on, updates will be about once a week. Maybe more, depending on two things: The length of the chapter, and the amount of Writer's Block I'm suffering through. ^_^ 

  
  


Now, as far as otehr things go, this chapter, I can tell you now, is going to give me mixed replies. Some of you may like it, some may not. So, bear with me, and don't be too hard. If you don't like the ending of the story, then you can beat me to death. Fair?

  
  


Oh yeah, and Knightblazer 88, my story is the longest of the GOLDEN SUN stories. I didn't say that it was the longest fanfic, I certainly know that. Now, if you know of a longer GS fic, I'd love to hear about it, I think it might be interesting. But as far as the research I've done goes, mine is the longest GS fic. Unless you can prove me wrong. If you can, and you show me where it is, I'd appreciate it. (this was in NO WAY a means of putting you down. I'm just letting you know. Sorry if you took it offensively, I didn't mean it that way. ^_^)

  
  


Okay, chapter 19. It's over 10 pages long, so it's a large one. Finally! _. Anyway, it's a semi-dark one, so bear with me again. 

  
  


That's enough for now. Onto chapter 19!

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 19: Driven by Hope . . . Or Lack Thereof

  
  


Isaac woke up to the now-familiar sounds of red lightning striking the ground and a gurgling coming from the volcanoes nearby. How much later he woke up . . . well, he didn't know. All he knew was that it was still hot enough for the wind to wake him up, because it blew against his raw arms. The stinging felt is if 100 wasps were stinging him repeatedly, over and over again. 

  
  


He sat up with great difficulty. Looking around, he saw his friends still asleep on the ground, some stirring restlessly . . . why, Isaac also didn't know. He didn't know a lot of things right now . . . he didn't even know whether the ship was still outside the forest, or even, whether he and the rest of the group could get past the flames burning the forest to cinders themselves. But he knew that it was time to be underway.

  
  


So, with slight difficulty, he got up, groaning, and roused his other team members slowly, as so not to alarm them. He didn't want them to think that it was a monster waiting for a meal. They all got up, wincing and complaining about the rawness of their exposed skin. 

  
  


Isaac knew that Mia was going to need help walking on that stabbed right foot of hers, so he walked slowly over to her as she stood up.

  
  


"I think you're going to need some help walking on that foot," said Isaac softly.

"Only until we get to the forest," said Mia. "Then I can just find a long, sturdy stick and use that for support."

"They're all burnt up, probably. And besides, I could carry you all the way."

"Good point . . . but I wouldn't want your arms to hurt just because you're holding onto me," said Mia.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Isaac. 

"More than," said Mia, looking at him and smiling. "Besides, I think you'll be needed up front to protect us from the monsters."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Isaac. "Until then though, I'm gonna help you."

"Oh, you're so sweet," said Mia, kissing his neck. 

"Are you ready?" piped up Solaris. "We wanna get out of here before we have to live here, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Isaac, putting his arm around Mia's waist to firmly support her.

"This sword is awesome!" shouted Garet, who was swinging the Sol Blade around with ease this time, as it was a Mars sword. "I could get used to this."

"We all have legendary weapons now," commented Lunora. "So, this will help us in our final assault against Karst, Agatio, and Alex."

"Ancient Lemuria . . ." said Ivan. "I often wondered throughout our trip whether we'd get a chance to ever see Lemuria."

"Well, now we are," said Solaris. "But under completely different circumstances. We're sure not just dropping by for a visit."

"Okay, let's go people!" called Isaac. "As of this point, time is not something we can afford to lose. Pick up your things and let's get going!"

  
  


And so they all picked up their slightly charred clothing, turned their backs on the Mars Lighthouse, and began to hobble away. Isaac, who was supporting Mia by the waist, moved fairly quickly actually, and both he and Mia soon began to learn how to keep up with the others quite efficiently. But their progress was constantly hampered by the fury of Mars; the volcanoes, the lava rivers, but most of all, the heat. It would be a welcome relief when they stepped into the forest . . . or what was left of it.

  
  


Ivan, having conveniently remembered the way that they took to get to the lighthouse, led the way, weaving around the lava rivers and volcanoes. Now that Mars Lighthouse was lit, it was able to control the fires around it. Therefore, safe passage was ensured as they neared the small volcanoes.

  
  


"Well, at least we don't have to do any dodging," said Isaac. "I dunno if you'd be fast enough, Mia."

"Well then, you'd just have to carry me!" said Mia, grinning up at him. 

Isaac smiled as he thought. "Good point. In fact, I might as well do that now."

  
  


So, Isaac wrapped his arms firmly around Mia, and, with some pain and difficulty, lifted her up. It wasn't very hard; Mia was almost lighter in weight than Ivan. It was her many layers of robes that weighted her down. She giggled slightly, but not for long. Now, they were able to quicken their pace more.

  
  


So, now being able to move faster, they soon reached the edge of the cliff. And that's where they ran into a big problem.

  
  


"Hey, guys," said Mia, motioning for Isaac to set her down. "Um, without a rope, how am I going to get down?"

"Dammit, I knew that rope would come in handy! Why did I forget it?" said Solaris, stamping his foot on the hot, rocky ground. 

"Well, we can't call it here," said Ivan. "So . . ."

"I don't think there's really anything anybody can do, except let me climb down," said Mia, after a moment.

"No!" said Isaac instantly. "That's too dangerous."

"Four of you go down first, and the person left up here will help me until I'm out of reach. Until someone can grab me from down below, I'm on my own." Isaac still looked reluctant. "Look Isaac," said Mia appreciatively, "I know you don't want to do this, for my sake. But if you have a better idea than mine, I'd love to hear it. The safer I can go down, the better." Isaac didn't respond.

"Well, I guess that's that then," said Solaris. "I'll stay up here. The rest of you go down below, and catch her is she falls."

  
  


After a bit of hesitation, just to make sure that this plan was flawless, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Lunora climbed, one by one, slowly down the plateau face. This was much more tedious work, since they couldn't find their unstable footing as well as they could when they were climbing up. But eventually, they all got down safely, and waited for Mia to start her descent.

  
  


On top of the plateau, she limped over to the edge of the hot rock, and cast Deluge on it with the little Psynergy she was able to gain during her sleep on the lighthouse floor. Then, when the rock was cooled off, she turned around, and got on her knees. Solaris was amazed that she could actually limp on it; she had been stabbed straight through the foot with the Sol Blade, for the Gods' sake! Then, Mia lowered herself over the side of the plateau.

  
  


It was a slow and dangerous process. Though Mia did make it down safely, she slipped at one point about 2/3 of the way down. She was able to hold onto the rock though, and she found her footing again. After that tense ordeal, she proceeded down the rest of the plateau without any problems.

  
  


"Are you okay? That stumble there scared the Holy Hell out of me," said Isaac, dusting Mia off.

"Fine, it scared me too," said Mia, straightening up. "But let's get going. I wonder if our gear didn't burn in the fire . . ."

"Solaris and Garet are going to be up front now," directed Isaac. "Since there may not be anything left of this forest, I'm gonna carry Mia the whole way."

"No prob," said Garet, stepping forward and drawing out his Sol Blade. "This'll give me a chance to knock any monsters that we meet into the ground." 

  
  


And so they started off, moving away from the plateau and the fury of Mars. It was a welcome relief to be out of there. Every step seemed to bring them cooler air as they got away from the heat. And, everybody let out a cheer when they got to the remains of the forest.

  
  


*******

  
  


An hour or so later, and now that they had made a considerable amount of progress through the forest, the group's spirits were lifting. They had found out that the fire had burnt itself out, probably when the Mars Lighthouse gained control over the fire. So, the coolness was noted with laughing, happy talk, and all the good things of the trip so far.

  
  


"Well, we've already relived Colosso about five times . . ." said Garet. "So we probably can't talk about that much."

"But Solaris and Lunora haven't heard about it," said Ivan. "Why don't we tell them?"

"I've been curious about that for some time," said Lunora. 

"Yeah, tell us about it," chimed in Solaris.

  
  


And so they did. Garet, Ivan, and Mia told them about it from their viewpoint of watching, and Isaac told about it from the actual battle point of view. When they were all finished, it left Solaris and Lunora staring in awe. 

  
  


"I don't know what to say, except for the fact that it must have been very intense," said Lunora. 

"It was," said Mia. "During the final battle, there were some close points in it that I couldn't bear to watch."

"I bet," said Solaris. "Look! There's our gear!" 

"Yes! I can't wait to put on some un-burnt clothes," said Garet, running forward to inspect the bags.

"Well, there's another good thing!" said Lunora. "Only if it didn't burn though."

Her question was soon answered. "The gear's all good!" said Garet, finding and grabbing his own bag. 

"Someone's gonna need to carry mine and Mia's," said Isaac. 

"I've got yours," Garet said to Isaac.

"I'll take Mia's," said Lunora, limping over and picking up hers and Mia's bags. 

  
  


Isaac waited for the others to catch up and check their own gear, to make sure it was okay. It was. Everything was there. So, with spirits slightly lighter than before, they set off again.

  
  


"Hey, look!" shouted Mia from Isaac's arms. By now, they had been walking away from the point where they found their gear for some time now. "Look at the trees. They're green again!"

  
  


It was true. The fire must have burnt out a little ways back, because this foliage and the foliage onward looked like the same old, boring, green forest that they had passed through on their way here. 

  
  


"I bet Mars was able to gain control of the fire and stop it from burning," said Solaris.

"But, why not just let the fire burn?" asked Garet.

"Well . . . I don't know. But, it's a good thing that the fire burnt out. The greenery keeps the air here cool, and I'll do anything right now to be cool," said Solaris, stretching. 

  
  


Everyone else agreed fervently. They all sighed with content as they walked deeper into the forest. For every step that they took, the temperature seemed to drop al little. When they couldn't even see the black trees anymore, the temperature had leveled out to a very pleasant level. It was perfect, and a welcome relief.

  
  


Not long after, they came across the camp that they had used for food and shelter before they lit the lighthouse. It looked more friendly by daylight, but Isaac and Garet thought differently. For them, it had been a night of horrors. And to think that the assailants were still out there, able to strike at any time . . . just as long as they reached the ship, and the assailants weren't hiding on board, they'd be safe. 

  
  


"Should we go back and check for anything that might have been left behind by the assailants?" asked Ivan. 

"Hell no!" said Garet instantly. "I'd rather stay away from that place at all costs. Besides, they might still be there!"

"I don't think so," said Solaris thoughtfully. "If they returned to their camp, then they must be pretty stupid, because we could march into that camp and see who they really are."

"Well, you guys can go if you like," said Garet. "I may be strong, but that's just too scary for me to go back to the place where it happened."

"I don't think we should go back either," said Isaac. "We cannot, at any cost, afford to waste time now. Even if it's for something important like that, because this is our last chance at stopping Karst and Agatio from restoring alchemy. Now, let's get moving again."

  
  


After looking around their camp one last time, they walked through it, and into the other half of the forest, the longer half. They still had about two hours walking left to do, and this walk soon became one of the most boring that they had ever experienced.

  
  


"This forest never seems to change!" said Garet in frustration. "All I see is green trees, green brush, green bush, green ferns, green leaves . . ."

"Yes, there is a lot of green, Garet," said Mia, craning her neck to look at him.

"Would you rather go back to the lava plateau?" asked Ivan.

"No, I'd rather get back to the ship, but who knows if we're even going in that direction, or what's waiting for us on there," retorted Garet.

"Stop bickering!" said Isaac. "Garet, we are going on the right path. I know that this whole deal has flared tempers, but we'll be at the ship in a few hours or less."

"Well, don't I feel better . . ." Garet grumbled.

  
  


*******

  
  


There was still no change, or so it seemed, in any of their surroundings, even a couple of hours later. The trees and the brush all seemed the same, in the same place. Basically, the only thing that kept Isaac and company going was the fact that they knew they'd be out of the forest in less than an hour now. 

  
  


"Hey, maybe if we run, we'll get out of here faster," said Ivan, standing like he was about to sprint away. 

"Perhaps," said Lunora, smiling at his sense of spirit. "But it's not worth the energy. We'll get to the ship eventually, whether we run or not. So I'd suggest that you save your strength."

"You're right," said Ivan, falling side by side with Lunora. 

"Well, I think we may be in luck," said Isaac.

"What do you mean?" said Garet, breathless with hope. 

"Well, I see the end of the forest," said Isaac.

  
  


Garet bounded ahead, the others following him closely. When they got to the top of the small hill that before had obscured their vision, they saw that Isaac was right. Not only was the end of the forest in sight, but they could see a tiny brown pinprick in the distance that told them their ship was still there.

  
  


"All right! Can we run now?" said Ivan, and this time, without waiting for an answer, he took off.

"Wait for me!" shouted Garet, breaking into a run as well. This just left Lunora and the others shaking their head with amusement. 

"Boy, they just couldn't wait, could they?" said Mia.

"Well, I don't blame them," said Solaris. "In fact, probably the only reason I'm not running with them is because I'm too burned out. Literally." 

  
  


So, they took their time in walking out of the forest and back to the long-awaited ship. When they got on board, which was about fifteen minutes later, they learned from Garet that Ivan had already fallen asleep on his bunk, and that the water in the bottom of the ship had produced an even more horrible stench than before, and moss and other sea-greens were growing on the wood.

  
  


So, Isaac set Mia down gently against the side of the ship, and, using the Black Orb, pulled the ship away from the beach. Garet went down below-decks to look for an old, rusty, plain sword that they had kept as a spare. Mia hopped over to a long, sturdy stick leaning against the side of the ship. She used it to get around instead of Isaac, and followed Garet down the stairs.

  
  


Once there, he melted the metal into the cracks of the door leading down to the water, and Mia cooled it off to prevent the ship from burning down, and to prevent burning a hole in the floor. Lunora blew the horrid smell out of the ship using one of her Djinni, since Ivan wasn't awake to do the job.

  
  


So, with the lowest deck sealed off, and the smell not plaguing the ship anymore, Garet went to Isaac and told him that the whole problem was taken care of. So, with that said, Isaac nodded and pointed the dragon head at the bow of the boat south down the river, and jerked the boat into motion. They were off to the Sol Lighthouse.

  
  


*******

The Lemurian Ship cruised swiftly down the wide river running through the center of Gondowan, the swift zephyrs causing white caps to form on all sides of the ship. The wind also played a factor in the speed of the Lemurian ship by speeding it up. Because the wind was with them, Isaac expected that they would reach the end of the river in half a day.

  
  


It was midday right now, and if the wind hadn't been blowing, the sun would have made everything unpleasantly hot, but not nearly as hot as the Hellish fires of the lava plateau and the Mars Lighthouse. The sun however glinted off the water, giving it a twinkling sensation.

  
  


Having sealed off the lowest deck of the ship, the smell of rotting wood and food no longer plagued the rest of the ship, and Isaac and the rest of the team were taking this time to rest. Garet had volunteered to guide the ship while everybody else slept, and so he was left gazing in front of him at the endless strip of water that was the river. 

  
  


"Ahh . . . this is one of the sites that is either very fascinating to watch or immensely boring," he said to himself. "I think I'm just happy to be out of that horrible heat. At least at the next lighthouse, the weather will be decent."

  
  


Soon after, he was surprised to hear the small door creaking open behind him. Isaac stepped out onto the deck, holding a small brown book. Isaac, squinting into the bright sunlight, looked horrible. His hair was all messed up, not looking remotely like it used to, his clothes were all rumpled, and he had large bags under his eyes. It didn't help either that he looked very thin.

  
  


"Listen to this," said Isaac tiredly, pointing to the little brown book, that looked like a journal to Garet. Isaac then started reading from the book.

  
  


"Finding Lemuria itself is difficult not only because of the dense fog that makes visibility nearly impossible, but because of the treacherous waters that surround it on all sides. Currents there are very swift, and can easily get you lost. Whirlpools also surround the island, swirling sections of water that can send your ship spinning off course. 

  
  


Only Lemurians know how to navigate the waters. Not only that, but a Lemurian ship is required as well. Lacking either of these two things will surely be a death sentence. Nobody has ever lived who has tried to enter Lemuria without a citizen of Lemuria or a Lemurian ship. It has been deemed impossible my many Lemurian researchers . . ."

  
  


"Well, nobody said that this trip would be easy," said Garet, considering what Isaac had read. 

"Garet, you're missing the point. We do have a Lemurian ship, but without a citizen of Lemuria, we can't get to the island without risking our lives, even more than we have already."

"What do you think we did when we decided to go on this journey?" said Garet seriously.

  
  


Isaac knew he had a point. But, that memory of setting out that day in Vale was but fog in his mind now, distorted shapes . . . the wise one appearing at the sanctum, Saturos and Menardi escaping Sol Sanctum with Jenna and Kraden, Felix found alive. All those things led Isaac and company to where they were now. And they were too deep to back out. 

  
  


"Where's everybody else?" asked Garet, trying to change the subject.

"Still asleep," said Isaac. "We need to have a meeting today. Since the lower deck is now inaccessible, we'll meet here on deck."

"When?" asked Garet.

"When everybody else wakes up," said Isaac. "But, let's not talk about the dangers of the trip. I take it you're enjoying the view?" 

"As much as I can," sighed Garet, looking out at the river again. 

Isaac came up next to him. "Well, now you won't have to enjoy it alone."

  
  


Isaac punched Garet's right shoulder, as he always did in Vale, whenever he felt like it. Garet smiled, remembering the days when they weren't heroes, remembering the times that they just stared at nothing. Those were the good days. Now . . . it seemed like there was a huge weight on their shoulders, and it would smother them or relieve them, depending on the outcome at the Sol Lighthouse.

  
  


*******

  
  


Over the next few hours, Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora emerged on deck one by one, varying states of tiredness showing on their faces. Indeed, Ivan looked half-dead, with his blond hair covering his face, and other assorted things on his person out of place.

  
  


Mia staggered over to Isaac, and with a groan of tiredness, put her hands on his shoulders. This nearly knocked Isaac off his feet, but he was able to hold his balance against Mia. 

  
  


Solaris and Lunora just sat down against the side of the ship. Solaris looked rather awake, compared to the rest of the group, but Lunora looked quite different. Her long, silvery hair was standing up in places, and some of it was covering her face.

  
  


"Well, you all don't look so great," said Garet.

"Put it this way, Garet," Ivan slurred. "We're much better off than we were when we got on the ship. You know, you both should get some sleep too. It'd do you good."

"Not before this," said Isaac. He held up the little brown book.

"What's that?" asked Mia, taking it from him and opening to the bookmarked page. 

  
  


She began to read the passage aloud. As she did so, her facial expression became one of slight fear. Everyone else, who had not heard the passage yet, followed suit. By the time she was finished, everyone else was at a loss for words. 

  
  


"Well, I don't know what to do," said Solaris finally. "We don't have a Lemurian with us, and we obviously won't find one outside of Lemuria. They don't leave often."

"How do you know that?"asked Garet.

"Here. Mia, lemme see that book," said Solaris, stretching his hand out for the brown book. 

  
  


Mia marked the page again and handed the book to Solaris. He spent a minute or so flicking through the worn pages, while everyone else watched him silently. He finally stopped on a page about 3/4 of the way through the book.

  
  


"Aha," he said, pointing his finger to some text. "Listen to this."

  
  


"Lemurians rarely leave Lemuria for the same reason that nobody enters Lemuria. Though the island is surrounded by treacherous ocean currents and whirlpools, Lemurians themselves don't often take the risk of trying to remember which particular path takes them home. Therefore, count yourselves very lucky if you see a Lemurian outside his homeland, for it will probably be the last . . ."

  
  


"So that explains it," said Ivan. "Well, we have one of the two. And I don't see how we're gonna find a Lemurian, so . . ."

"I know," said Isaac, resting his head in his hand. "This was just to brief you. We should be at the end of the river by dusk, and as you can see, the sun is setting now. After that, we'll sail east-northeast to get to Lemuria. We should be there within three days, if everything goes correctly."

"I have something else important to discuss," said Garet. "Food!"

"Damn," said Solaris. "What are we gonna eat? We have nothing . . ."

"I think the only thing we can do is wait 'till we get out to sea," said Mia. There must be an island with a shop, or an inn somewhere where there isn't drunk riots."

  
  


The group considered this, and agreed that this was the best solution so far. So, leaving it at that, they all got up, preparing to get some sleep. Well, everybody but Isaac, that is.

  
  


"I want the watch tonight," said Isaac. 

"Why?" said Mia, immediately. 

"Yes, I thought it was my turn," said Lunora, looking confused.

"It is," said Isaac. "But I want it. I need some fresh air, and I doubt I'd be able to sleep anyway."

"Why's that?" asked Ivan.

"I've got a lot on my mind right now," said Isaac.

"Anything I can help you with?" asked Mia softly.

"No! I just need time alone right now!" Isaac snapped, and immediately regretting doing so. It was enough to shoulder his tension, but he didn't need to explode.

"Okay, fine," said Mia irritably, turning on her heel and striding to the door.

"No, Mia, I meant-"

"I believe you," called Mia without turning back. "You do need some time alone right now. So, I think it better if we all weren't here right now."

  
  


And, without another word, she and the others strode through the door leading belowdecks, leaving Isaac to regret his outburst. 

  
  


'I'm such a moron. Dammit, if only I hadn't said that!' thought Isaac furiously to himself.

"If only," said a squeaky voice. 

"Flint!" roared Isaac, but not in anger. That's how he always addressed his lead Djinni.

"Yep, it's me," said Flint, appearing on Isaac's right shoulder. "Boy, you really screwed that up."

"I know that, you don't need to tell me!" said Isaac irritably.

"Tut-tut, that's exactly what got you where you are right now," said another voice on his opposite shoulder. 

"Bane?" asked Isaac, watching as Bane appeared on his left shoulder.

"Naturally," said Bane squeakily. "We, as Djinn, sense that you're feeling troubled."

"Well, I'm sure you know why . . . at least, Flint does," said Isaac.

"No, I know too," said Bane. "I'm sure you regret it, right?"

"Of course I do," said Isaac wearily. "I had no right to bite her head off. Do you think she's angry at me?"

"I don't think that's a question that we need to be telling you the answer to, you know it already," squeaked Flint. "D'you want advice?"

"Sure, anything," said Isaac.

"Let her cool, and then approach her to apologize," said Bane simply.

"Do you think that you could tell her for me?" asked Isaac.

"No way," said Flint firmly. "We Djinn got you two hooked together, we're not your carrier boys anymore. You need to figure this out for yourself, or your relationship will never succeed."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Isaac. "Thanks guys."

"Anytime," squeaked both Djinn. 

"Hey. Do you need to talk about anything else?" asked Flint.

"Well . . . yeah," said Isaac. "Many things. Starting with the beginning of this journey . . ."

  
  


Granite, Quartz, Vine, Sap, and Ground soon appeared and joined Flint and Bane in listening to what Isaac had to say. It was mainly emotions, feelings about the trip so far. They listened patiently, occasionally checking the ship to make sure it was still on course. 

  
  


*******

  
  


Mia sat on her cot, thinking about the events that just took place outside. She was feeling many different emotions right now. One was anger towards Isaac for reacting the way he did. Another was worry that she had done something to anger Isaac . . . she still loved him very much, but she couldn't talk right now. Not to him, anyway. But she needed someone . . .

  
  


And, almost in answer to her wish, Fizz and the rest of her Djinn, including Balm, suddenly appeared beside her on the bed. Mia started slightly, but then smiled when she saw all of her Djinn, looking up at her.

"You need to talk, don't you?" squeaked Fizz, hopping onto Mia's right shoulder. "Well, that's one of the uses of us Djinn! Confidants!"

  
  


Mia sighed, and told them all about the issue with Isaac, and her feelings about it, and her feelings towards him that had progressed . . how she was becoming more attracted to him . . . both emotionally and sexually . . .

  
  


"Well, as far as your little argument goes, I don't think he meant what he said," said Dew. "I think he's just got a lot on his mind, being the leader and all. It has nothing to do with you."

"But he still shouldn't have snapped at her!" said Tonic. 

"I agree with both," said Fizz. "I don't think he meant to get snappish with you, but that doesn't excuse the fact that he did. So, I can see both sides."

"How do you think Isaac is feeling right now?" asked Mia. 

"I'm sure he's regretting it," said Spritz squeakily. 

"I'm still angry with him though," said Mia. "I don't think I could talk to him yet."

"Then don't," said Fizz. 

"Well, I don't know much about you yet, Mia," said Balm. "But, I hope things go well for you."

"Well, and it was just nice to see you here," said Mia, smiling fondly at the little Djinni, and picking it up. "I'm glad you care."

"If you're referring to the fact that you think Isaac doesn't care, don't," said Sleet, as sternly as a Djinni could muster. "He cares for you more than you could ever imagine. He just made a mistake."

"We all do," said Hail. "Just sit on it for a bit, then confront him on the issue. Or wait for him to do the same."

"I don't know whether or not Isaac's sure on what to do right now," said Mist. "But, he'll figure it out."

"I didn't know love was so complicated," said Mia. 

"I bet he's thinking the same thing," said Fizz, with a humorous tone of voice. Mia smiled. 

  
  


Now filled with this new information, but still rather angry at Isaac, she lay down on her bed, and watched the dying sun through her window. But, she couldn't for long, as the boat slowly turned eastward. And in front of her now, was a blue carpet that was the ocean. Now, she could relax. So, she lay back and closed her eyes, seeing blue streaks through her eyelids as her Djinn streaked around the room.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac fought with all his might to keep his eyes open as the sun rose in front of him. We was so tired from staying up all night, worrying about many things, that he hadn't been able to sleep. But now, he was so tired that he felt like he could fall asleep standing up. 

  
  


His Djinn had helped him in navigating the sip through the night, since htey knew that he was deep in thought. But, Isaac still hadn't forgotten his mistake. And the more he thought about it, the more he beat himself up over it. 

  
  


He watched the sun rise into the clouds, and as soon as it hit them, he was struck with horror. Dread started to consume his body as the door behind him opened, and Garet, Ivan, and Solaris strode out. 

"Hey, were out to sea! About damn time . . . what's wrong, Isaac?" asked Ivan.

  
  


All Isaac did was point to the clouds. The rest followed his gaze, and soon, everybody's except Garet's expressions matched that of Isaac's.

  
  


"What? What's so great about red clouds and a red sun?" asked Garet.

"Nothing. That's the problem," said Ivan. 

"I don't get it," said Garet.

"There's an old saying that sailors pay great attention to," said Solaris. "And it goes like this.

"'Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning'."

It took a minute or so for Garet to catch on. "Oh," said Garet, now looking nervous himself. 

"Prepare for storm weather!" said Isaac, ringing the bell loudly. 

  
  


************************

  
  


Not good. Not good at all. *shudders*

  
  


Now, I realize that some are not going to like this issue between Isaac and Mia. But what I say is this. What relationship does not have conflict? Name me one, and I'll give you my gecko's Flamethrower. 

  
  


*Gets blasted by flames*

  
  


Okay, maybe not. And QueenDragonGoddess, if this is what you meant in your review by ruining the characters, I apologize. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that they'll sort this out. So, like I've said, bear with me, and don't hate me, either.

  
  


Now, enough pleading. Remember the SirGecko Deal! The more reviews I get, the faster I update! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! 

  
  


~SirGecko~ 


	20. The Fury of the Elements

Ha haaaa! Yeah, it's me, SirGecko, back with smacker number 20. Twenty chapters! Can you believe it?! Probably.

  
  


Okay, I'd like to start off by thanking all of the reviewers. Your support is greatly appreciated, all of you. Every single one. Give yourself a round of applause. Do it! *calls Geckos, and suddenly hears much applauding* That's what I thought. Anyway, you deserve it. Because . . . I've gotten over 100 now! YAY! And I'm hoping for 100 moree before this story is over!

  
  


Now, I just completed this chapter tonight . . . and it's 11 1/2 pages long, so count yourself lucky. It's a big one, and this is only a few days after the last update. 

  
  


I think that's everything of importance. Now, onto number 20!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 20: The Fury of the Elements

  
  


A minute or so later, Lunora and Mia came rushing on deck. They looked tired, but alert. They also looked nervous too. They didn't yet know what the deal was with the ringing of the bell.

  
  


"What's going on?" asked Lunora, brushing some of her silvery hair out of her face. 

"Look at the sky, it says all," said Solaris.

  
  


She did so. Apparently, both she and Mia knew about the old sailors' saying, and their nervous expressions intensified as well.

  
  


"Well, this ship can withstand a lot," said Mia. "So, if we just tie everything down, and bring in all the light stuff . . ."

"That's a good idea," said Isaac, trying to meet her gaze. She looked away, though.

"Well, we may as well get started," said Ivan. "Hey, wait a minute. Where are we gonna put all this stuff? All that's accessible now are our cabins."

"Well . . ." said Isaac, thinking hard. "We'll just have to split it up. We'll all put some into our cabins. There's really not that much, is there?"

"Well, there's the rope ladder, some rope, and some repairing supplies, and . . . not much else," commented Garet, looking quickly around the deck.

"Okay, that works out even more," said Isaac. 

"We can take the stuff, since we have the largest cabin," said Lunora, walking to the back of the ship, and taking the rope ladder.

"That's great," said Isaac, grabbing the repair equipment. 

"Don't bring in the rope, we'll need that to tie everything down," said Mia. 

"Right," acknowledged Solaris, starting to sort out the rope.

"What can I do?" asked Isaac.

"Nothing," said Mia. "Just go down and sleep. You need it."

  
  


Not wanting to say anything that might anger her more, he did as he was told wordlessly and proceeded down the steps to the cabin deck. He shut himself in his cabin, and sat down with a *flump* on his cot. 

He couldn't sleep. Not with all the things on his mind. Mainly Mia and the approaching storm, and also about the battle that would ensue on the Sol Lighthouse. And the lighthouse itself . . . what would the element who created all the Common Elements have to throw at them? He found himself thinking that he didn't want to know.

  
  


After another few painfully silent minutes, he heard a knock at his cabin door. Hoping for one instant that it was Mia, he leapt up and hurried to the door. He opened it, but it wasn't Mia who was looking back at him from the hallway. It was Ivan.

  
  


"Oh . . . hey, Ivan," said Isaac, disappointed that it was not Mia, and yet grateful to have someone at his door.

"Isaac, can I talk to you?" said Ivan, quite seriously, in fact. 

"Uh . . . sure," said Isaac slowly and uncertainly, and he stepped back to let Ivan into his cabin.

Ivan went and sat down on Isaac's bed, then turned to face Isaac. "I want to know . . . is everything okay between you and Mia?"

"Fine, just fine," Isaac lied. 

"Yeah, okay. The truth now, please," said Ivan.

"That is the truth!" said Isaac indignantly.

"Look. You can tell me the truth yourself, or I can read your mind to find out that way," said Ivan. "Now, I'd prefer you tell me, since I don't like to offend anyone by peering into their minds. Except Garet, he's full of . . . mushy thoughts about Jenna, but I won't go there. So, do you want to tell me, or do I find out for myself?"

  
  


Isaac knew he was caught. This was why it was impossible to hide secrets from a Jupiter Adept. So, he decided to quit lying and tell the truth.

  
  


"Okay, then, if you really want to know. Mia and I . . . well, we sorta had an argument, and she's angry at me. . . . Wait a minute. You were on deck when this happened! How did you not notice?"

"Hmm, I must have been too tired to pick anything of that sort up," said Ivan. "Anyway, go on."

  
  


So, Isaac told Ivan all about the argument, and about the talk he had with his Djinn. Ivan listened silently, occasionally asking a question or two. He kept a straight face the whole time, not looking surprised or worried at all. It was like trying to stare down a fish.

  
  


"I see," said Ivan. "Well, I can't offer you any advice, since your Djinn have given all the good stuff to you already. But, she'll cool down. She's not gonna hate you for this."

"Wow," said Isaac in mock surprise. "Ivan, looking at the bright side of things for once?"

Ivan smiled. "I'm just doing it for you," he said. "In all seriousness, this shouldn't last long."

"Well, thanks for your encouragement," said Isaac. 

"Anytime," said Ivan, clapping Isaac on the shoulder and getting up. "Well, I'd better get out there and help."

"Okay," said Isaac, stepping aside so that Ivan could exit. "Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention this to Garet. You can tell the others, but if Garet gets wind of this . . . well, I just don't wanna risk it. Okay?" 

"Fine," said Ivan, and he left, shutting the door gently behind him. 

Isaac sighed again, and looked out of his cabin window. Since it was facing the north, he had to look out the left side of it. He could see the orange sun and clouds becoming less so, but he'd read some books on sailing when he was a kid. So, judging by the looks of the storm, it would be on them by nightfall.

  
  


*******

  
  


It was sunset now. Sol was dipping below the horizon to the west, or so Isaac and company guessed. The sun was blocked by a mass of large, black, angry clouds. They could hear the thunder rumbling in the distance, and the wind was picking up. It made the ship list even more than with just the water. And it was starting to get rough too.

  
  


Everyone was now sitting on deck, watching the clouds roll in, listening to the thunder, and enjoying the cool breeze that was flowing.

  
  


"I'm getting hungry again," said Garet.

"We're all hungry," said Ivan. "Not just you. Who knows? Maybe that storm that we run into will throw a fish on deck. Then, if we survive, we can cook it." 

"Not if, Ivan, when," said Mia. "We'll live. I know it."

"Okay," said Ivan, still skeptical. 

"We should be going inside in a few minutes," said Isaac. "Things are starting to get rough."

"I'm already cold," said Garet, wrapping his arms around his torso and running through the door leading belowdecks.

"Well, since Mr. Mars has decided to bail, we'd better get in too," said Ivan, getting up. Lunora giggled, and followed him through. 

  
  


Solaris followed, then Mia, and finally Isaac. He tried to get Mia to look at him, but she looked away. He could see weakness overtaking her though, and knew it was only a matter of time until she spoke to him about the matter. Or maybe, he was the one who should do the speaking . . .

  
  


But there wasn't time for that. For as soon as Isaac stepped through the door leading down to the lower decks, he was knocked against the wall by a giant wave. He wasn't the only one. Mia let out a small shriek of surprise before being slammed against the wall too. To Isaac's surprise, she fell into his arms. 

  
  


"Uh . . . are you okay?" asked Isaac. 

"Fine, thanks," said Mia shortly, hoisting herself out of Isaac's grasp.

  
  


She proceeded to go into her cabin and shut the door behind her, leaving Isaac feeling rather hopeless, despite himself. 

  
  


'She just has a lot on her mind,' he thought, in an effort to cheer himself up. 'The storm, our argument, the quest . . . it'll die down. . . . Won't it?'

"Hey, Isaac!" said Garet. 

"Yeahwha?" said Isaac, snapping out of his reverie. 

"The rain's started," he said simply. "And so has the wind."

"Yeah, I noticed," said Ivan sarcastically, poking his head as well out of his own cabin door. "I only almost landed on my own sword."

"Well, I'd say we're in for some rough weather," said Garet. "Are you sure this ship won't capsize?"

"Oh, come on Garet, this is a Lemurian ship!" said Ivan exasperatedly. "The Lemurians built them for their own swift currents and whirlpools. Do you think an ocean storm is gonna turn us over?"

"Well . . . I guess you're right," said Garet. "But I'm nervous."

"I am too Garet, I am too," said Ivan, in a much more soothing voice than normal. 

"Heh, don't forget me," said Isaac, raising his hand.

"And me," piped in Solaris, having just stepped out of his own cabin. 

"Me too," said Lunora, coming out of her cabin.

"Where's Mia? She's been awfully quiet this last day," said Solaris. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine," said Isaac quickly. "She's just got a lot on her mind."

  
  


It was only a half-lie. It was true that she did have a lot on her mind, but she was also angry at Isaac. But, Isaac didn't think it necessary for Garet, Solaris, and Lunora to know. Even though Solaris had said to come talk to him if ever Isaac or Mia needed to, back in that cave on Tundaria, 

but Isaac didn't think it necessary for both Ivan and Solaris to know. He was surprised, in fact, that Ivan hadn't told anybody at all. 

  
  


"Oh, okay," said Solaris. "Just as long as she's not ill."

"It'd have to be a pretty bad sickness for her not to be able to heal it," said Ivan lightly. Solaris smiled at this. 

"That's quite true," said Solaris.

"Yes, she has the best healing abilities that I have ever seen in my life, even better than my own," said Lunora. "I bet she can even cure deadly diseases, ad that's almost impossible."

"Well, I'd bet you anything- aaaaah!" said Isaac, crying out when another powerful wave sent not only him, but Lunora and Ivan as well, crashing to the floor.

"Well, that was refreshing," mumbled Ivan into the floorborads as he heaved himself back up.

"Very much so," said Lunora, getting to her feet with the help of Ivan. Solaris and Garet just laughed.

"I'm sorry, but I have to say this. That, right there, was funnier 'n Hell. You all sort of just collapsed."

"How would being a shish-kabob suit you?" growled Ivan, raising a palm. "I think that'd be funnier 'n Hell, too."

"Oh come on," said Garet, while Solaris just chuckled. 

  
  


The next wave not only sent everyone crashing to the floor this time, even Garet, but there was a splintering of wood outside that didn't sound good at all to Isaac. He hurried to his feet, climbed the stairs, and bolted out the door into the deluge outside.

  
  


"We should help him! Come on, let's go!" said Ivan, pushing past Garet and following Isaac out into the rain.

"That's a good idea," said Solaris. "Come on, Garet and Lunora. Let's get this over with! The less time we have to spend out there, the better."

  
  


And so Garet, Solaris and Lunora followed the rest out into the rain. And the instant they stepped outside, they became soaked. Waves were rather high, and the crests came halfway up the side of the boat. 

  
  


"The dragon head is cracking!" shouted Isaac above the wind and rain. "Garet and Solaris, help me by protecting me from the wind, so I can patch it up! Lunora, there's a rope blowing around at the back of the ship! Use it to tie these crates down!"

"Got it!" she called, and she slowly and steadily ran aft.

"What's so important about the dragon head, anyway? Isn't it just a figurehead?" asked Garet.

"No! It's what balances the front and the back of the ship! If that thing goes, we go!" shouted Isaac. "Now help me! I've gotta patch it up!"

"Okay, but how?" asked Solaris. "How can we hold it up without putting any weight on it?"

  
  


Isaac, or any of the others, could barely even see their hands in front of them. The only relief that they got was when flashes of lightning occurred, and they could see where they were standing or who or what they were facing. 

  
  


"Solaris! Garet! Ivan! You've gotta hold the head in place while I nail it together with some spires!" shouted Isaac.

"I don't have any strength to do something like that!" said Ivan.

"You do if Garet and Solaris help you! How hurry up! One more wave could put that thing in the ocean!"

  
  


So, Garet, Ivan and Solaris quickly found a piece of rope with a large hook attacked to it, and threw it over the front of the boat. They missed, because a sudden gust of wind bucked it to the right. So, trying it a second time, they managed to snag the hook on the dragon's chin, holding it up. 

"Good! Now pull! Don't let it fall into the water! I'll climb on top and patch it up!" shouted Isaac.

  
  


Isaac then carefully climbed onto the head. His body, suspended only by the head, which could easily tumble into the Great Eastern Sea, taking Isaac with it, left Garet, Ivan, and Solaris breathless with anxiety. But, they pulled harder, now supporting the weight of both the cracking dragon head and Isaac. 

  
  


"Hurry up! I don't know how much longer I can hold this!" said Garet through clenched teeth.

"Just another minute longer, Garet! I've got two spired in place, now I need to get two more!" shouted Isaac. A pause. "There! I just nailed in the third, but this last one is gonna be difficult! It's on the underside of the head!"

"Oh, Mars. I don't think I can hold on anymore . . ." said Garet. "If I don't get some help, I'll slip."

"No, you won't!" shouted Ivan. "We've gotta hold on!"

"I'm out of strength," said Garet. "It's slipping-"

  
  


But just then, he felt a tug behind him. Mia had just appeared, and was pulling on the rope with all her might. Her presence bought Isaac enough time to get the last spire nailed in place, and slide back on deck. Once he did so, he collapsed.

  
  


"Are you okay?" asked Solaris immediately.

"It's not about physical strength this time," Isaac panted. "It's about the nerves. The fact that I knew I could, at any time, slip off and be gone."

"Isaac, I'm so-" started Mia, but soon there was a shout from the aft section.

"That's Lunora! She must be in trouble!" said Isaac. "I'd help her, but I need to recover. Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it," said Mia. "I should have been out here sooner, and you've all done your fair share." 

  
  


And she scampered off to the back, just as another giant wave rocked the boat. She tripped and fell, but got up without any sign that she had fallen, and continued to run until she saw Lunora, struggling to pull out a rope.

  
  


"Need some help?" shouted Mia over the wind and rain.

"Yes, thank you," said Lunora, letting go of the rope for a minute. "Every time I get a good hold on it, a box or something falls and catches me off-guard. It's getting extremely frustrating."

"Well, I think we could get this accomplished if we pull together," said Mia. 

"I think so too. Now, let's pull!"

  
  


Together, they heaved, and after a few minutes of tugging, they were able to pull the rope free. They both used the rope to tie down the boxes lined against the center of the ship. It was tough; another violent wave sent Lunora tumbling over the boxes they were trying to tie down, and if Mia hadn't caught her, she would have been flung over the side of the ship.

  
  


After Lunora got up, she went over to her side, and she and Mia finished tying sown all the crates. It was tough, the wetness of both the rope and their hands made tying tight knots difficult. That, and the fact that they couldn't see either. 

  
  


"It's done! Let's get inside before a wave sends us overboard!" said Lunora, taking off for the front of the ship, Mia following close behind.

"Look, here come Mia and Lunora," said Ivan, pointing to two shadowy figures making their way over to them, their silhouettes outlined by a flash of lightning. 

"The crates are tied down!" shouted Mia. "Is there anything else?"

"No!" said Solaris. "Let's get inside!"

  
  


They all scampered toward the door, but they were all knocked down by another violent wave. This one reached so far up that the ocean water actually splattered onto them. 

  
  


"That was close," Isaac said, getting to his feet. 

"Too close," added Lunora, making her way to the door.

  
  


Eventually, they all managed to get inside. They were cold, windswept, and very wet. They all had jangled nerves, especially Isaac, from having been suspended over the water for such a long period of time.

  
  


"I don't think there's anything left to do but to wait it out," said Solaris evenly.

"Fine with me," said Garet, taking off for his cabin, and shutting the door quickly behind him.

"Well, I wish him luck trying to sleep," said Ivan, nodding at Garet's cabin.

"As far as sleeping goes, Garet has ways that I'll never be able to figure out," said Isaac heavily. "But I'm exhausted, too. I'm gonna try to at least shut my eyes."

"That's a good idea," said Lunora, yawning and standing up.

  
  


They all made their way to their separate cabins, shutting the doors behind them with a snap. Isaac flopped down onto his cot, still in his soaking-wet clothes, and was somehow able to fall asleep almost instantly.

  
  


*******

  
  


Mia awoke with a suppressed shriek as a wave hit her side of the ship and knocked her out of bed. Shaken but alright, and hoping her shriek didn't wake any of the others, she saw that the storm was still raging, but sort of feebly, like an angry grandpa. And, looking out her window, she saw the sun rising in a break in the clouds, yellow this time, and shedding light on everything. By the looks of it, the storm was dying out.

  
  


Trying to hold back her excitement, she just stood there, hands clasped on her lap, not moving, with a small smile on her face. She wished Isaac were here to enjoy this . . . but, he was probably still sleeping. Too bad.

  
  


She was interrupted from her thoughts by a knock on her cabin door. "It's open!" she called.

  
  


Lunora entered the room, looking horrible. She was even paler than she normally was, and she was sweating. All the signs of a high fever were presenting itself to Mia.

  
  


"I hope I'm not disturbing you," said Lunora in a very weak, raspy voice. 

"No, no, not at all," said Mia comfortingly. "It looks like you've got one nasty cold there. I'll take care of that."

"Thank you. That's what I came here for," said Lunora. "I tried healing it myself, but I was too drained of Psynergy to do so."

"That's okay, it's why I'm here," said Mia. 

  
  


Mia put the palm of her hand up to Lunora's forehead, and felt burning heat. Wincing slightly herself, she cast Pure Ply on her, to relieve her of the fever, and the cold. Just like that, Lunora was rid of her fever.

  
  


"Ahh, that's better," said Lunora, sounding less hoarse now. "Thank you very much. I just woke up with that huge wave and felt my head burning up."

"Well, now you won't have to," said Mia. "If ever you feel like you're coming down with it again, because if you coughed, the sickness will most likely still be in your cabin, and since we can't open the window yet because of the storm, I suggest you stay with me until the storm blows out. Then, we can air it out in your cabin."

"Thank you," said Lunora, finding a spare blanket, laying down on the rug that had been placed there when they got the ship, and lying down.

"My pleasure," said Mia. "Is Solaris okay?"

"Mia, an earthquake couldn't wake him up," said Lunora, grinning. Mia chuckled. "He doesn't snore, but if Isaac cast Grand Gaia on him, he'd be beaten up but still asleep." 

  
  


A flash of lightning suddenly illuminate things better. The storm seemed to be dying, for the clouds were breaking up. The wind wasn't raging so hard anymore, and the sun was poking through, casting yellow over the dark blue and black that was the sky and the ocean. This was a good sign, and it brought a sigh of relief to everyone. 

  
  


"Yay! This tense ordeal is finally nearing an end," said Lunora, leaning against the wall.

"Um . . . look outside," said Ivan, terror evident in his voice.

  
  


Lunora peered out the window . . . but saw only water. Then it hit her. This was no choppy wave like they had felt before. This was a tsunami. And it was coming right for the Lemurian ship!

  
  


"Brace for impact!" shouted Isaac.

  
  


The wave hit a few seconds later. The ship did not capsize, but it was turned at a ninety-degree angle so that the Adepts fell onto the wall, which was now the floor. They were pulled underwater for a second, and water gushed through the door leading out onto the deck. All feared that they would never resurface . . .

  
  


The ship broke the surface of the water, emerging with every inch of it, including the inside, soaked. But, when they got back on the surface of the water, the rain had stopped, and the angry clouds were disappearing. With that one final wave, the storm was over. The sea was beginning to calm.

  
  


The Adepts slid, shaken and soaking, off the wall and onto the floor. There was about ½ inch of water on the floor, but Torch quickly took care of it so that the floor was only damp. 

  
  


"Well . . . I think it's safe to say that I spoke too soon," said Lunora. She and the others laughed nervously. 

"The storm is now over," laughed Mia, looking around. "Well, let's get out on deck and see what damage we've sustained."

  
  


Wordlessly, she went up onto the deck, the others following her. The outside of the ship was still dripping with water, and a moderately strong wind was still blowing. 

  
  


There was nothing on the outside of the deck, except for what Mia and Lunora tied down with the rope; all those boxes. The rest of the deck was completely void of anything. It was all lost to the sea.

  
  


"This isn't good," said Isaac. "The only things that were in those boxes were spare repair supplies. We have no rope except for what was used, we have . . . nothing. . . . . Where's the Black Orb?!"

  
  


He looked to the pedestal, and, breathing an enormous sigh of relief, he saw that it was still there, lopsided inside the pieces of wood that held it there.

  
  


"That also brings up another bad point," said Ivan.

"Well, let's hear it, you're always the one to deliver bad news. Why stop now?" said Garet.

Ivan glared at him. "Um . . . who knows what direction we're heading? What about how far we've been blown off-course?"

"That is a problem," said Solaris, rubbing his chin. "Well, the sun has just risen, so that's east." He pointed in the direction of the rising sun. "And, we're facing southeast. So, we nee to turn left."

  
  


He quickly walked up to the Black Orb, straightened it out, and using it to power the ship, he slowly turned the battered ship so that it was facing just to the left of the sun. 

  
  


"Okay, we're east," said Ivan, walking up next to Solaris. "We need to head east-northeast to get to Lemuria."

"But, for all we know, we could have been blown so far down south, that if we head east-northeast, we'll run straight into Osenia!" said Garet.

"Look Garet, if you're gonna be negative like me, you've gotta do it with brains," said Ivan. "We won't run into Osenia, we got past that before we even encountered the storm. Now, if we have been blown off course, we'll know it when we run into Gaia Falls."

"Oh, that's comforting," said Mia sarcastically. 

"We can't figure out where we are at the moment, since we're not next to any familiar land. The best thins we can do right now is to sail in the same direction as we would if we were on course," said Isaac simply. "Now, set course for Lemuria."

"You got it!" said Ivan, saluting Isaac and going off to get a compass. 

  
  


*******

  
  


They had been sailing for quite some time now, more than half a day, and no signs of the storm present as the ship glided through the water. They were sailing east-northeast, hoping for some sign of land, or even better, Lemuria.

  
  


All damage to the ship had been repaired, the railing of the ship was cracked and broken in several places. Isaac checked the dragon head, but everything was okay with that. Luckily, there were no leaks either.

  
  


"It looks like we got off luckier than we should have," said Isaac.

"Yeah, we did," said Solaris.

"What are we gonna do now?" said Garet. 

"We'll be on extra-alert," said Isaac. "On the lookout for anything that's familiar, so we can get a better idea of where we're headed. If we are, by lucky chance, steered for Lemuria, we should get there late tonight, since the wind is with us." 

"Hey guys! Let's eat!" came a shout from the aft section.

"What? You found something?" asked Garet excitedly, tearing off for the back of the ship, where he found Lunora staring at a humongous fish that had probably been washed on deck during the storm.

"And I was just joking about that too," said Ivan, as he came up to the area.

"I'm not complaining!" said Solaris. "Let's chow down on this guy!"

  
  


They didn't need telling twice. After setting the fish on an empty box (it took Lunora, Ivan, and Solaris to put it on the box), Garet lit the box on fire. The psynergy-enhanced flame cooked the fish in minutes, and the box was reduced to ash.

  
  


Once cooked, Solaris removed the serrated knife from his belt and cut away huge sections of the fish, giving one to everybody.

  
  


"You should probably go get your gloves for this," said Garet. "My fires can get pretty damn hot. Isaac, would you get mine?"

  
  


Isaac nodded, and ran off. He told everybody that he'd get their gloves as well. When he returned a minute later, everyone eagerly put them on and took a chuck of fish. They waited for Garet to take the first bite, since he was the hungriest.

  
  


"It's good," said Garet, talking with a mouthful of fish. "If I had my spices, it'd be even better!"

"I don't care, I'm starving right now," said Ivan, also taking a huge bite. 

  
  


They all devoured their sections of fish within minutes, and soon Solaris was digging out his knife agin to cut off more strips. By the time they were done eating, all that was left were the bones and organs of the fish, which Garet took the liberty of chucking overboard.

  
  


"That hit the spot," said Mia, rubbing her stomach. 

"You bet it did," said Isaac. "This is the first time in a week that I actually feel full. I'm skin and bone! And I bet you all are too."

"Hey, we've got muscle," said Ivan, rolling up his sleeve and flexing.

"Quit showing off," said Lunora animatedly.

"Yeah Mr. Puny, put it away," said Garet. Everyone chuckled at this, including Ivan.

"Shut up, Garet," said Isaac, still chuckling. "You're talking about the guy who defeated Karst when she was about to put her scythe through my head. Remember, up on the Luna Lighthouse?" Garet nodded.

"Now that we're full, who wants to take a nap?" called Solaris. Everybody raised their hands except for Lunora.

"Well, that works, then," said Lunora. "You all get some rest, and I'll take watch now and tonight."

"Works for me," said Mia, starting for the door.

  
  


Everyone followed her through, and went off to their separate cabins. He could have sworn that Mia gave him a small wink when she went through her cabin door, but then again, he was tired, full, and happy from all that fish. 

  
  


Taking his boots, armor, and weapons off himself, he lay down on his cot, shut the curtain over the window (the sun always bothered his sleeping), and closed his eyes. He quickly drifted into his dreams.

  
  


*******

  
  


Lunora, chilled by the night wind that was blowing now, sat down on the railing as the ship sailed on. The moon was full tonight, and it lit everything up brilliantly. The sea was completely still, like an endless pane of black glass that reflected the twinkling sky and the brightness of the moon.

  
  


'It's just so beautiful out,' she thought to herself. 'I never got to see something like this as a child. I can't believe what I was missing out on . . .'

  
  


She started when she heard the door creep open behind her. She slid off the railing and spun around to see who it was. Isaac had just walked on deck looking happier than he had in days.

  
  


"It feels so good out here, don't you think?" he said. 

"It's a little chilly, but it's beautiful," Lunora commented.

"Yeah, it sure is," said Isaac. "I never got to see the ocean when I was a kid . . . I'd always hear Kraden talking about it. Venus, I'm gonna miss him. He was kind of annoying at times, but he was like a grandfather to me. A grandfather that I never had . . ." His voice cracked slightly, and Lunora came up and gripped his shoulder.

"I bet it's going to be hard to get used to not having him around," said Lunora.

"Sometimes, I refuse to believe that he's gone," said Isaac. "Then, if I think about it long enough, it hits me . . . and I can't stop thinking dark thoughts."

  
  


His expression soon went form that of a sad boy to that of an angry beast. It took Lunora slightly by surprise, and she removed her hand from his shoulder.

  
  


"Karst, Agatio and Alex are gonna pay for this!" he shouted. "They're gonna pay for it all! The death of my father, the death of Jenna's parents, the death of Kraden, the lighting of five of the lighthouses, the kidnappings . . . they've done so many bad things! I can't think of one single good thing that's come out of this quest!"

"I can," said Lunora simply. "More than one in fact."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" said Isaac.

"You've met many new friends, you've gotten to explore the world, meet new people, learn new things . . ."

"Well, I guess you're right," said Isaac.

"But that's not all," continues Lunora. "You would not have met Mia if you hadn't been chasing Saturos and Menardi."

  
  


This shut Isaac up. He knew that she was right . . . he had never looked at his quest that way. But, with something this important, it was hard not to concentrate on the bad, when so many things went wrong. Their failures at five of the lighthouses . . .

  
  


"I think you've just made my day," said Isaac, smiling.

"Well, I'm glad," said Lunora, also smiling.

"That's not all," said Isaac.

"What else, then?" asked Lunora interestedly.

"Ring the bell," said Isaac joyfully. "I'm turning us further north. The fogs of Lemuria approach." 

  
  


**********************

  
  


To some that's a cliffhanger, to others it's not. You make the call. 

  
  


Remember the SirGecko Deal! The more reviews I get, the more I work on the next chapter, and therefore, the faster I update! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!


	21. Passion and Progression

Hi ho, hi ho, I can't wait for some snow! Okay, that was weird. I'm sorry. Anyway, it's me, SirGecko, back with number 21. It's a long one, about 10 pages, so it's a decent length. Yay for me. 

  
  


Now, I have something I'd like to add, as part of my appreciation for all of those that review (thanks very much for the reviews on chapter 20 by the way). I have given this some thought over the last couple of days, and I think that the author responding to the reviews he/she got makes teh reviewer feel noticed and appreciated. So, from this point forward, I will respond to all reviews I got, pertaining to the previous chapter (20). It's my way of saying thanks.

  
  


Note: Those who reviewed first will be at the top of my reply list

  
  


So, to begin!

  
  


Lumino: I'm glad you like my sorry ^_^, but when I said mine is the longest story of the GS stories, I meant in terms of word count, not chapter quantity. I know, mine DEFINITELY is not the longest in terms of chapters. That was my error for not clearing that up. I apologize. But, I'd appreciate it if you continued to review my work! Thanks.

  
  


Ssonic: I'm glad you like this story, and even more glad that you have me on your fav authors list! Kudos to you ^_^. As far as Isaac and Mia making up, you'll just have to read to find out when . . . maybe it'll be this chapter . . . ^_^.

  
  


QueenDragonGoddess: I can tell that you're very enthusiastic about this story, and that's part of what compels me to update so frequently. Thank you very much! ^_^ And I have updated soon . . . I think. You tell me.

  
  


TankMasterG: I can tell you just read the story recently, and I was very, VERY pleased to hear your comments about it. They made my day ^_^. And don't gnaw off your leg just yet. I have a long chapter for you to digest. (excuse the lame pun)

  
  


Anime-Master7: I'm glad you like this chapter. And yes, I tried to meet your requested deadline, of updating within a week. So, here you have it. And I also want to thank you personally. You have stuck with this story since day 1, chapter 1. Thanks very much. ^_^

  
  


Dragoon knight: Thanks, I'm glad you like this chapter, and my work. Don't you worry, Isaac and Mia will make up, but like I told Ssonic, you'll have to read to find out how and when. Sorry! ^_^

  
  


SniperSightX: I know it, I'm so evil. Just read my bio, it proves it. ^_^. I'm glad you like my story, and the Sol Lighthouse is coming up soon. Don't sweat it too much. ^_^

  
  


Sukasa the Third: I'm gonna keep writing, just you wait. I hope you've thought of more threats. The mpre motivation to write, the better. Even if it threats my mortality . . . ^_^

  
  


Akachi: It's okay that you've missed chapters, with your reason, I totally understand. I've got some sough math and science to deal with myself, so I completely understand. And as far as the flameshipping goes . . . well . . . I have good news and bad news on that. First, I'll thell you the good news which is: There will be flameshipping. The bad news is: It won't come 'till near the end of the story. So, be patient for me, and review. The more reviews I get, the faster i update, and therefore, the sooner you get to the flameshipping. Thanks for being my first reviewer, by the way! ^_^

  
  


0==l=R=a=g=n=a=r=o=k=: Yes, sarcasm rules! Amen to that! ^_^ You're right, as well, on the fact that Mia and Isaac are working things through. They are, most definately. Oh yes, and by the way, I love your screen-name. It's very clever. ^_^

  
  


Yes, I know I had a lot of smiley-faces, but it's been a very good day today. Thanks for everything, reviewers! It's all for you!

  
  


Okay, I almost forgot, and I regret that I remembered, but it's time for the ever-constant disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN GOLDEN SUN. If I did, then these characters and concepts would have been The Lost Age.

  
  


Now, I've already explained about the chapter, so it's time you started reading. Onto chapter 21! 

  
  
  
  


Chapter 21: Passion and Progression

  
  
  
  


Lunora immediately walked across the front part of the deck and rang the bell that was attacked to the center of the ship. In few-minute intervals, the rest emerged on deck, yawning and rubbing their eyes, some looking nervous, probably thinking that another storm was approaching. Isaac cleared his throat.

  
  


"Hey Ivan, why are you looking so glum?" he asked.

"I'm tired, and I wouldn't be surprised if we were being attacked by pirates, the way our luck is running right now," responded Ivan grumpily.

"Quite the contrary, Ivan," said Lunora, walking over to him and tilting his chin up. "Look ahead of you. What do you see?"

"Fog," said Ivan flatly. "Just what we need. To be lost . . ." And then it suddenly dawned on him, and his face split into a grin. "D'you mean to tell me that this is Lemuria?"

"Right you are, Ivan," said Isaac.

"Well, maybe you were wrong, Ivan," said Solaris. "Maybe our luck isn't so bad after all."

"In some ways yes, and in others, no," said Mia airily.

"What do you mean?" said Isaac. 

"I'll tell you later," said Mia. "Right now, I think we'd better concentrate into getting into this fog."

"Good idea," said Garet.

"Yeah, Once we get in a certain distance, we probably shouldn't sail for the rest of the night. It's best if we try to pass the waters by day," suggested Solaris.

"That's also a good Idea," said Isaac. "So, let's get going then. Lunora, would you like to do the honors?"

"I'd be glad to," said Lunora.

  
  


Turning the ship using her psynergetic powers, they all found themselves slowly facing the dense outer fog of Lemuria. Sailing at full speed, they were able to make it into the fog in about ten minutes or so. This was greeted by cheering from everybody except Isaac and Mia . . . they had other things on their mind besides getting to the fog . . . the dangers that lay ahead, for instance.

  
  


Lunora guided the ship to a stop about a mile into the fog. The ship sat there, not moving at all, as the dense fog swirled around them in the very slight breeze that was blowing. 

  
  


"Well, I don't think anything's gonna happen until morning arrives," said Garet. "I'm still tired. Why don't we all turn in?"

"That's a good idea," said Isaac. "Lunora, you're off the hook. Since we're not going anywhere, nobody has to be on watch. Besides, I think we're all gonna need our wits about us tomorrow, when we try to figure out the currents and whirlpools."

"I agree," said Mia, and she turned around and headed for the door, the rest following her.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac was thinking dark thoughts in his cabin. He knew that they may not survive the Sol Lighthouse . . . that being the final, and most difficult, of them all. He knew that they may not even live through tomorrow morning . . . 

  
  


There was a knock on his cabin door, which jerked Isaac out of his thoughts. It was a good thing too, because he thought that he would cry if he continued to think about everything . . .

  
  


"It's open!" he called.

  
  


The door opened slowly, and Mia entered the room. Isaac was surprised, and again felt that consuming dread in his gut. He had enough problems to deal with. Apologizing to Mia would be a one-shot deal, as well as everything else. If you screwed up, it was over. And he wanted to face as little one-shot situations as possible.

  
  


"Am I bothering you?" she whispered.

"No, not at all. Why would you bother me?" he said. 

  
  


She smiled at him. Isaac patted the cot next to him, inviting her to sit down, which she did. They sat there, not saying anything for a few minutes. Then, Mia spoke up.

  
  


"There's something I want to say to you," said Mia, looking as though it would be torture to say it.

"Yes?" asked Isaac, holding his breath.

"Well . . . you do know that there's the possibility that we may not survive the Sol Lighthouse?" she started.

"All too well," said Isaac heavily. "Or even entering Lemuria, for that matter."

"I thought of that too. And that's why I want to talk to you now," she said, looking at him with her light-blue eyes. 

"And?" said Isaac softly.

"And . . . well . . . if we do die . . . I'd regret dying without having spoken to you before I did . . . about what happened," she said, putting her face in her hands.

"I know, and I want to apologize for saying that the way I did," said Isaac sincerely. "I had no right to, I was just up to my neck in stress and worry, but that doesn't excuse my behavior. Will you forgive me?" he finished, somewhat hopefully, and somewhat pleadingly.

  
  


Mia responded by climbing into his lap and bringing her lips to his. Though Isaac was quite stunned at this way of saying "yes", he enjoyed it immensely, and instinctively kissed back. 

  
  


Mia then did something that struck horror into his features. She reached behind his neck and started to slide his tunic off his neck. His first thought was that he wasn't ready for this. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew he wanted it. And the more he realized that he might never get a chance to express his love to her in this way after this.

  
  


He and Mia slid onto his cot, and continued to express their feelings for each other throughout the first part of the night. 

  
  


(Author's Note: I think you know what happens next. ^_^)

  
  


"Now, I'll have no regrets if I die soon," said Isaac.

"Neither will I," said Mia. "Now that I have devoted myself to you . . . if I am to die, I can die without regret as well. I love you, Isaac."

"And I you," he replied, kissing the tip of her nose before falling into a deep sleep.

  
  


*******

  
  


Isaac awoke to faint light streaming through his cabin window. He felt Mia stir beside him, and he ran his hand over her bare back, in order to wake her up calmly. She moaned, and her eyes fluttered open. Smiling at him, and passing one of her soft hands over his chest, she greeted him with a kiss.

  
  


"Good morning," she sighed, stretching.

"Same to you," said Isaac. "Now that we've enjoyed ourselves, we have to risk our lives now. I suppose it's time to get to Lemuria."

"Right," agreed Mia. "The sooner we can get this whole quest over with, the better. . . . Do you realize that we are almost finished, and yet we're so far away from home?"

"Now that you mentioned it, it does feel weird," said Isaac. "I mean, we've all been on this quest for almost a year, and yet, when we're finished, it'll feel like we've lost something. Isn't that odd?"

"Yeah," she sighed, sitting up. "Now, let's get dressed."

  
  


They both got up, kissing each other when they were out of bed, and then dressing silently back into their traditional robes and tunic. Once finished, they stepped out of Isaac's cabin, and were relieved to find that they were the first ones awake. 

  
  


"Let's just play this off like normal," suggested Isaac.

"That's my plan," Mia nodded, heading up the stairs to the deck. Isaac followed.

  
  


When both were on deck, they fully saw how thick the fog was. They could barely see their hand in front of their face, let alone anything around them. The fog swirled slightly, as a small breeze picked up here and there. 

"Hard to see, isn't it?" said a voice.

  
  


Isaac and Mia jumped slightly, and squinted to see who it was that spoke. The green suit, the blond hair . . . it was Ivan. So, they realized with slight horror, they were not the first ones awake. Isaac mentally prayed that Ivan didn't know. 

  
  


"Yeah, I couldn't even see you," said Mia, in a slightly trembling voice. 

"I couldn't see you either, I just heard the door open," said Ivan. "You're Mia, right? And Isaac's with you?"

"You got it," said Isaac.

"Made up, have you?" said Ivan. "About damn time. That's one thing about relationships that I'll never understand . . ."

"What do you mean, 'about damn time'?" said Mia indignantly. "How did you even know about-"

"Oh come on, it was obvious," fibbed Ivan. 

  
  


Isaac was very grateful that Ivan did not reveal that he, Isaac, had talked to him about what occurred between him and Mia. Ivan had a talent for keeping a straight face; Isaac made a mental note to himself never to play poker with Ivan.

  
  


"Anyway, do you know whether Solaris or Lunora are up yet?" asked Isaac.

"I don't think so," said Ivan slowly. "I haven't seen them, at least."

"And unless we were in the ship, you wouldn't see us out here anyway," said a light, accented voice.

  
  


Lunora and Solaris had emerged on deck. They were barely visible through the dense fog, but Isaac definitely recognized Lunora's voice, and he could faintly see the bright red color of Solaris's cape. He also saw red tips behind Lunora's shoulder, which meant that Garet had awoken as well.

  
  


"Well, where do we go from here?" asked Mia. "Are we even ready to go?"

"I think so," said Solaris. "We're as ready as we'll ever be, anyway."

"Okay, let's get this heap going again!" said Garet.

"This fog is driving me nuts," growled Ivan. "Tempest!"

  
  


Ivan cast his Tempest psynergy on the surrounding fog, but it did nothing at all, except swirl in new fog where the old fog had been blown out.

  
  


"Damn! That didn't work," said Garet. 

"Yeah," said Ivan. "I should've learned by now that the easy way is never open on this quest. Well . . . I guess we'll be sailing blindly."

"That's all we can do," responded Mia. "Well, shall we get moving?"

"Let's!" shouted Isaac, walking forward to the Black Orb to get the ship going again.

  
  


The ship started to move very slowly through the still water, steadily gaining speed. The bow of the ship parted the fog in their way, only to be replaced by other swirling fog. So, there was no improvement in vision. 

  
  


Isaac adjusted the ship's speed so that it wasn't going as fast as it could, lest they run into a whirlpool or current obscured by the fog, but enough to safely gain some distance to Lemuria. 

  
  


After sailing for a good twenty minutes, and not seeing anything new but a wall of white in front of them, tempers began to flare.

  
  


"Are we even going in the right direction?" snapped Garet.

"You try navigating this ship in the fog, Garet!" said Isaac cooly. 

"If it makes anybody feel better, does it seem like the fog is thinning, or is it just me?" Mia cut in.

  
  


At this Isaac abruptly stopped the ship, so that everything was still. Looking at the ship, he saw that she was right. He could see the door a lot better, and even make out the water, though that was almost impossible.

  
  


"Maybe it thins out the more we go in," Isaac reasoned. "'Cause you're right, Mia. It is thinning out."

"Well, let's get going again and find out!" said Garet.

"Righto," said Isaac, starting up the ship again.

  
  


Over the next few minutes, as the ship started to regain speed, the fog grew thinner and thinner. It was still thick, yes, but it was not wall-like anymore. Thickly transparent was a better description for it now. 

  
  


"Oh, damn! Prepare for a hard turn!" said Isaac, concentrating all his Psynergy into the ship.

  
  


Abruptly, the ship veered to the left, knocking everybody but Isaac off their feet. The ship turned so sharply in fact, that it listed. Isaac then brought the ship to a stop and turned around, panting, to look at his friends, sprawled out on the floor of the ship. 

  
  


"Mars! What the Hell was that for?!" said Garet indignantly, getting up and dusting himself off.

"Look for yourself, to the right," said Isaac flatly. 

  
  


The rest of the group got off the ground, and followed Garet to the starboard side of the ship, to peer out into the sea. After squinting for a few seconds, Garet recoiled slightly in fright, seeing what Isaac had swerved to avoid.

  
  


A large, ominous whirlpool raged to their right, water viciously swirling in a circle 100 feet away. But, this was no ordinary whirlpool. It didn't look like it could suck anything underwater. Instead, it was just a swirling circle.

"I think . . ." started Lunora. "Look closely, in front of the whirlpool, which would be our left. Do any of you see a river current past that?"

"I did," piped up Isaac. It was a narrow, but extremely fast current of water."

"I see it too," added Ivan, pointing. 

  
  


The others followed the direction of his finger, and they saw, indeed, that there was a narrow, swift current beyond the whirlpool. 

  
  


"Yes . . . I think if we went inside the whirlpool . . . that it would just swirl us around in a circle. That way, we can pick up speed, beyond what we would normally be able to go. Then, once we get enough power behind us, we'll shoot out of the whirlpool, and across the current. It's narrower than this boat, so we shouldn't be swept down very far."

"That's a great idea!" said Ivan. "But, are we sure that the whirlpool won't suck us under?"

"There's no swirl of water in the middle, is there?" asked Solaris, more to himself than anyone else. "No. So, we won't be sucked under, but we may get a little dizzy."

  
  


Everyone chuckled slightly, and prepared to sail into the whirlpool. Once they were all ready, and Isaac checked to make sure that everyone was ready, he started to turn the ship back right, facing the whirlpool. Then, putting on some decent speed, the ship shot towards it. 

  
  


It seemed like hours until the ship reached the whirlpool. When it did, everyone felt a tremendous jolt as the ship got caught up in it. The ship was uncontrollable now, caught up in the swirling water. But fortunately, there was no tugging, which meant that it would not suck them under. 

  
  


"Okay, now we . . . look, why don't you let me steer the ship? Things will be a lot easier that way," said Lunora.

"Fine with me, now the pressure's off," said Isaac.

"What're you talking about? You're a pro at guiding the ship," said Garet.

"Well, if I screw up here, then I don't want to be responsible," said Isaac. 

"I see," said Garet. 

  
  


Lunora walked forward and put her hand just above the Black Orb. Slowly, she began to turn it, flowing with the whirlpool, so that they were going even faster than before. She was now adding the spin of Psynergy to the spin of the whirlpool, making the ship move faster. 

  
  


When she had powered the ship to its maximum speed, they were moving three times as fast as its maximum speed while sailing in the open sea.

  
  


"Now, when we're facing the current, I'm going to make us shoot out of the whirlpool. I think that at our speed, we shouldn't move down with the current very far."

  
  


Everyone else was too nervous to reply, but Lunora took no notice of this. Instead, she concentrated on the timing of her move, because if it was timed incorrectly, the results could be disastrous. 

  
  


In an instant, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, and Solaris felt the biggest jerk yet as Lunora put on her burst of speed, and they went shooting out of the whirlpool at just the right moment. They felt the ship jerk again as the current picked it up, and then they felt it slowly sail to a stop on the other side of the current, twenty feet to the left of the whirlpool they had propelled out of seconds ago.

  
  


"Nice work, Lunora!" said Solaris, nodding and grinning, and giving her a hug.

"Best I've seen yet!" said Ivan, looking very pleased and happy.

"I hereby relinquish my position as main helmsman to Lunora," said Garet, extending his hand to the Black Orb, and motioning for Lunora to stand by it. 

"Oh come on, you're making a big deal out of this!" said Lunora, but she looked pleased all the same.

"Well, that's the first one though," said Ivan. "I doubt that's the only whirlpool we have to pass to get to Lemuria."

"That's not the only thing that gets tougher," said Solaris. "Look ahead."

  
  


They all did, and they saw many more currents, but no whirlpools. The group all sighed nervously. Now, sailing in the right direction was, like it was to find Lemuria in the first place, a guess. 

  
  


"Well, that was the easy part then," said Lunora. "So don't be cheering for me yet. Which way do you want to go?"

"Whatever way takes us further north," said Isaac instantly.

"Well . . . it looks like that would be right, then," said Solaris, pointing at a current that came from the north.

"Okay then, right it is!" said Lunora. 

"Hold on!" said Ivan. "In that book you had, Isaac, was there a map charted by a Lemurian that covered the way in?"

"I doubt it," said Isaac. "The whole purpose of these currents is to keep people out of Lemuria, I don't see why somebody would give it away."

"True," said Mia. "Sorry, Ivan."

"Dammit!" Ivan cursed, slamming his fist down onto the railing.

"It's okay," said Lunora reassuringly. "We were able to guess what direction Lemuria was in. Maybe we've guessed the right direction again."

"Maybe," said Ivan, but he still sounded doubtful. "But, I don't know any better than any of you do. So, go where you like. I'll go for either-or."

"Right it is then," said Lunora, starting the ship up again.

  
  


They followed the current that came from the north for some time, all the while the dense fog, which had now dampened everything on the ship, including the Adepts (Garet wasn't too pleased about this), growing slightly thinner, the further they went into the unexplored area.

Then, they saw another whirlpool approaching, as well as a current that ran to the north of it, this time flowing to the right. But, a new obstacle was going to make things tricky. Large boulders, protruding out of the water, was going to make things both tricky, and dangerous, maybe even fatal if the ship crashed into one of the boulders.

  
  


"Let's see if I'm still a great helmsman now," said Lunora, slowly steering the ship into the wormhole. "I have faith in you," said Ivan. "And I don't think I'm the only one." 

Lunora smiled at him. "Thank Luna for that," she said. 

  
  


They felt the now-familiar jolt of the ship being swept into the raging water. Now they were slightly dizzy; this whirlpool spun a bit faster than the other one, making this maneuver all the more difficult.

  
  


"Well, on the plus side, we have more speed, so we won't be swept down as far," said Solaris. "But on the downside, the timing will be harder."

"You got that right," said Lunora. "I'm speeding up the ship now."

  
  


All felt the ship speed up slowly after she said this, and before long, they were going so fast that they couldn't make anything out. They were also becoming increasingly dizzy. The longer they waited, the less chance that the timing would be correct.

  
  


"Now!" shouted Lunora to herself, turning the ship so that it was going north.

  
  


It was a very tens moment as all felt the ship shoot out of the whirlpool, and be jerked into the current. But, they quickly jerked out of it onto the other side, narrowly missing a boulder, and gliding to a smooth stop a long way off from the current.

  
  


"Yes! We made it!" cheered Ivan. 

"Now are you gonna call yourself a lousy helmsman? If you are, I'm gonna have to cast Pyroclasm on you!" said Garet, in a good-natured tone of voice.

"Well, maybe I'm not half-bad after all," said Lunora thoughtfully, starting at the slightly glowing Black Orb.

"Not half-bad?" said Isaac. "I'd still be working up the nerve to do this on the first whirlpool if I were steering the ship." Everyone chuckled.

"Well, now we have to proceed," said Mia. "I think I remember reading that there were only three whirlpools, back in Imil when I was a kid. So, the upcoming one is the last one, but it's probably the most difficult."

"Let's get going then," said Lunora. Then she added humorously, "I'm on a roll."

"Amen!" shouted Garet triumphantly, and they started north again.

  
  


The ship moved more slowly now, as the water was now dotted with large boulders that Lunora had to work her way around. So, the work became more tedious, and demanded more concentration then either of the last two segments had.

This particular segment seemed to stretch on forever; the only thing that got easier for them was the level of fog they faced. The fog was quite thin now, and they could see the water and the boulders in front of them quite clearly. 

  
  


After another few minutes, Lunora stopped the ship, for the third and final whirlpool lay in front of them. One look, and they knew that surviving this one would be about as likely as Karst giving them the Sol Star. The whirlpool sped extremely fast, boulders were numerous around the whirlpool, and worst of all, the current (which flowed to the left) went under a rock archway about fifteen feet away from the whirlpool, to the left. If they ran into that, it was all over.

  
  


"This . . . this is going to be difficult," said Solaris nervously. This surprised everyone else. Solaris rarely got nervous. But, he sure had reason to be now.

"That it is," said Lunora, letting out a great, shaky sigh. "Well, if you're ready, let's get it over with and out of the way."

  
  


Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, and Solaris held their breath as Lunora eased the ship into the whirlpool. This one sped the ship around at the same speed as the first one did with the ship at full speed. But, due to that archway, Lunora needed to apply full speed here as well. It was going to be close.

  
  


"Increasing speed!" announced Lunora. 

  
  


As as soon as she said that, they all felt the ship spin faster and faster around with the whirlpool, until they were going at least six times as fast as they would, at full speed on the open ocean. The surroundings were a blur, and more than one person vomited over the side of the ship with dizziness.

  
  


Lunora, through some type of strength that the rest envied, managed to remain standing, and not sway with seasickness. She was concentrating on the spinning of the ship, a stony expression fixed on her face. 

  
  


"Wait . . . not now . . . no . . ." she muttered to herself as she continued to pump Psynergy into the ship. She was starting to feel weak from lack of Psynergy. "No . . . no . . . NOW!"

  
  


She instantly turned the ship so that it was going straight. It shot out of the whirlpool so fast that nobody even noticed the jerk. All breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the ship skim quickly past the rock arch, and begin to slow down.

  
  


"Oh no!" shouted Isaac. "Boulder! Turn right, quick!"

"Oh, crap!" muttered Lunora, Psynergetically trying to turn the ship right.

  
  


It was a white-knuckler, that was for sure. The ship continued to slow down, and began to turn slowly to the right. The boulder which unfortunately had a sharp out-jutting on its right side, caught the side of the ship. The boulder put a big scratch on the left side of the ship, but Lunora had turned it just in time, so that they didn't crash head-on into the boulder, or make the sharp part of the rock tear a hole on the side of the ship.

  
  


The ship cleared the rock and all the rest, now with an inch-deep gouge mark running along the port-aft part of the ship. But that didn't matter. They were all okay, and more importantly, alive. 

  
  


"Oh, thank Luna," sighed Lunora, collapsing from apprehension and energy loss, though she was still conscious.

"We're alive! We're alive!" cheered Garet. "Yes! We made it past the waters!"

"Lunora, you're the best!" shouted Ivan.

"I think I'm about to have a heart attack," said Mia, clutching a hand to her chest, where her heart lay.

"Superb driving," said Solaris. "The best navigation."

"Thank you very much for a nerve-racking, nevertheless a safe, ride through the waters of Lemuria," said Isaac.

"I can't believe I did that," said Lunora, shaking her head from where she was lying on the ground. Ivan helped her up. 

"C'mon. After the second whirlpool, I could," said Solaris. 

  
  


The group continued to congratulate Lunora for some time, all patting her on the back, cheering, or, in Ivan's case, sneaking in a kiss that nobody else saw.

  
  


"I feel beaten," she muttered through a grin, some ten minutes later.

"Well, we'll concentrate on something else then, because we don't want to knock you out," said Mia happily.

"Thanks," said Lunora, giving her a quick hug.

"That was the last whirlpool!" said Isaac. "Now, we can finally access Lemuria!" 

  
  


Everybody, including Lunora this time, cheered. Since Lunora was drained of Psynergy, and Garet was hampered slightly by the dampness of the fog, Isaac once again took the Black Orb. He propelled the ship forward slowly, and increased to full speed. They got a surprise, however.

  
  


The fog this time did not continue to get thinner. It got thicker. It got so thick in fact, that it was like a wall again, and Isaac couldn't even tell if his hand was still above the black orb (the place it needed to be to power the ship).

  
  


"This can't be good," said Isaac, his happy expression slowly fading off his face.

"Not at all," agreed Solaris, looking around, though he could see nothing but swirling white fog.

  
  


Isaac slowed down the speed of the ship, just in case they were in store for any surprises. He was rather nervous now; the nervousness had quickly replaced the happiness he had felt just moments before. But then, he was in for another surprise.

The ship burst through the fog and into bright sunlight, blinding all of them. They quickly put up their arms to protect their face from the sudden change in the amount of light. When they could see again, and they looked ahead, they saw an amazing sight.

  
  


The Island of Lemuria lay before them, maybe a mile to the northeast. Even from where they could see it, they could tell that it was a magnificent city. But what stood out even more, was a sparkling, orange structure that scraped the sky, just off to the left of Lemuria, on its own little island: the Sol Lighthouse.

  
  


"It's beautiful!" said Mia, her mouth slightly agape. 

"Very mesmerizing," said Lunora, looking in awe at the sight before her.

"That's the decider, right there," said Ivan. "The fate of us, the fate of Weyard, will be decided right there, on top of that lighthouse."

"I'm nervous," said Garet, looking apprehensively.

"Yeah, me too, brother," said Solaris, clapping a hand on Garet's shoulder.

"Okay people, listen up," said Isaac. "All Djinn, too."

  
  


In an instant, 46 little Djinn popped out of various places on their person, and turned their attention on Isaac, as well as the rest of the adepts.

  
  


"I only have one thing to say, just to get you pumped up," said Isaac. "This is it. This is our last chance. And as a famous person once said, 'In this sort of race, there's no silver medal for finishing second'." 

"There isn't," agreed Solaris. "Good quote."

"All right, that's it, we're going straight to the Sol Lighthouse," said Isaac, walking forward toward the Black Orb. "Are we ready?"

"Ready," chorused five voices.

"Get 'em!" squeaked 46 little voices. Isaac nodded, and turned to face the lighthouse.

"Let's go."

  
  


********************

  
  


They're off! The final lighthouse is in sight . . . 

  
  


As far as Isaac and Mia go, I'm sorry if anyone found that offensive at all. It was just . . . I don't know. It seemed fitting. On the plus side, I did not make it a lemon, because I think a lemon in this story is unnecessary, and in itself, would be a pointless addition to the whole story. This is why it's not a lemon. It's not necessary.

  
  


Now, I'd like to remind all of you to check my bio regularly for updates, since I usually update it every day. You'll find a lot of stuff about me in there . . . I basically tell you everything about me other than: anything about my parents, my real name, and address, of which I don't think any of you need to know ^_^. So, like I said, check it out, if you haven't for awhile, or at all. You'll find some intersting stuff.

  
  


And lastly, remember ths SirGecko deal! The more reviews I get, the more I type, and the faster I update! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	22. Sol Lighthouse: The Truth

Heidy-ho! It's me, SirGecko! Yes, I'm back with chapter 22, and this is where things start to heat up It's 11 2/3 pages long, so you won't be disappointed. 

  
  


Now, I'm gonna respond to all those reviews I got.

  
  


TankMasterG: Well, I'm glad you thought it was fitting. So did I. Anyway, there's more action in this chapter, so that's good for you. And get rid of the salt. Or I'll have my flame gecko burn it off! *evil laugh*

  
  


Dragoon knight: I'm glad you liked last chapter. And as far as a sequel goes . . . well, I'll discuss that with you, and all the rest, later.

  
  


Sukasa the Third: This review made me laugh. It really did. Isaac probably didn't understand that lecture anyway . . . heh heh. And, isn't it supposed to be "Old McDonald had a Farm?" Oh well. It was funnier the way you worded it. ^_^. And be thankful that a croc bit you. You didn't get torched and stabbed by icicles (compliments of my geckos).

  
  


AnimeMaster7: Thanks.

  
  


Bunder Black: Why, you flatter me. I'm nowhere near as good as Vyctori or Mr. Jupiter, but I'm trying to improve. Your motivation really helps. Thanks. ^_^

  
  


Ssonic: Yes, it is about damn time. If you want to know my personality better, pretend I'm Ivan. That's me, all right. always the sarcastic one ^_^. And due to your review, I've invested in an antitoxin and bullet-proof vests for my geckos. You'd better buy some flame-retardent, lest you wished to be burned like a piece of toast left in the toaster for half an hour. *Note: the Gecko wrote this, not me.*

  
  


Great Saiyaman: Yay! You're not dead! Literally, I was just thinking that you hadn't reviewed since Ivan and Lunora got together, and then your review pops up! Good, good. Keep 'em comin'. You're absolutely right. I can write whatever makes me happy, but without getting too carried away. It's your job, as a reader, to let me know when I go overboard, because I don't want to be flamed. So, if you want something changed, feel free to let me know about it, and I'll consider it. And there will be more Ivan/Lunora, don't worry. I haven't totally forgotten about them yet! ^_^

  
  


QueenDragonGoddess: Well, I'm glad you think I didn't go overboard. And, I've updated sooner, so that should please you. This is a long one. Geez . . . it's your lucky day! ^_^

  
  


Edwin: I'm glad you like the story. And it is the longest mudshipper. 

  
  


jg1790: I'm glad you like the story. So here's chapter 22. And, if you didn't notice already, I reviewed your story for you.

  
  


cheese: Okay . . . I updated, and you like it, but I don't get the rest . . . 

  
  


There. That should make you happy. Now, onto chapter 22!

  
  
  
  


Chapter 22: Sol Lighthouse: The Truth

  
  


After Isaac's little motivational speech, he took the helm and began to slowly propel the ship at the Sol Lighthouse. Now used to the bright sunlight that they had always been used to (up until the point where they got into the fog), things seemed a lot more pleasant, and the water glittered as though a blanket of diamonds had been thrown over it.

  
  


The ship increased speed, and the tall, orange lighthouse loomed closer as they got closer to it. The sun here was not very hot, so Isaac guessed that it was now early morning. This was good, as he was sure that it would become blazing hot not too far from now. But he found it odd as well, because he thought that the strength of the sun would be intensified near the Sol Lighthouse.

  
  


One thing that struck Isaac as odd was that the island of Lemuria itself was surrounded by fog, similar to that of the foggy wisps they had run into while getting past the whirlpools. He thought that the sun would not allow for that, but apparently, the island had its own sort of magic. 

  
  


About five minutes later, the ship ran aground gently, and Garet lowered the plank onto the sandy beach. For being the last, and toughest lighthouse, its surroundings were quite pleasant, and not ominous, like the rest of the lighthouses had been, excluding the Venus Lighthouse. Soon, everybody had stepped down onto the beach, and got a good look around.

  
  


"Well, it certainly doesn't seem very foreboding, that's for sure," said Mia, scooping up a handful of sand and letting it trickle through her fingers.

"Looks can be deceiving," said Ivan darkly. "I wouldn't trust this place if it handed me a weapon strong enough to kill any beast with one hit."

"Neither would I, even though this is my lighthouse," chimed in Solaris. 

"Well, let's determine whether it is trustworthy or not for ourselves," said Isaac. "Is everyone ready?" 

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," said Lunora, gripping her staff very tightly.

"Let's get this over with," said Garet determinedly.

  
  


So, with purpose, the group marched up to the steps of the Sol Lighthouse, Solaris leading the way. The instant he stood in front of the passageway leading into the lighthouse, the door blocking it slowly slid into the wall, allowing them to enter.

  
  


With a deep breath, they all put one foot forward into the final lighthouse they would have to climb. The passageway they were walking through was made of orange stone, and unlike the rest of the lighthouses, this stone was more glittery and shiny than that of the rest of the lighthouses. 

  
  


They continued walking for a bit, and then emerged into a large, open room that covered the outer walls of the lighthouse. A huge depiction of Sol was carved into the floor, and suns were carved into the walls lining the lighthouse. 

  
  


There was no stone tablet, which struck the group as odd. They didn't know why this was; Ivan had the nasty suspicion that Sol was going to make them find out on their own, without giving any inclination as to what was in store for them. He was wrong, however.

  
  


"Ye who seek to climb my lighthouse . . ." said a great, booming voice. 

"What the Hell . . ." said Garet, jumping in surprise.

"Yes, I am Sol himself!" boomed the voice. "I did not wish to install tablets in my lighthouse, I will guide you through personally."

"Oh, how kind of him," whispered Garet sarcastically.

"Right. Ye who seek to climb the Sol Lighthouse . . . must do so utilizing everything ye have learned on your travels. If ye do not do so, ye can abandon all hope of ascending to the heavens."

"Will you be testing us on your powers through the whole lighthouse?" asked Solaris.

"No!" boomed the voice. "Let me continue. Ye will be tested on all I have created: Mercury, Venus,

Jupiter, and Mars, in that order. My tests will be the hardest of all. For these threaten your mortality, not just your thinking skills. Then, at the end, ye will face the most deciding test of all, that of Sol. Ye will not be tested on Luna. I will say no more until ye have passed the first four tests. Good luck, Adepts of Renown . . ."

  
  


Then, the voice was not heard again, as the group waited in vain for more. When none came, Garet turned to the rest of the group and began to speak.

  
  


"I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but this sounds impossible!" he said.

"Nothing's impossible," reminded Isaac.

"Time travel is," said Garet.

"I'm afraid not," said Solaris.

"What do you mean?" asked Ivan.

"I'll explain later," said Solaris, shaking off the whole matter. "But like we've said before, time is of the essence. Let's go face Mercury's challenge."

"Hey, at least we don't have to go through any mazes," said Mia.

"True," said Lunora. "But let's do what Solaris said, and continue on."

  
  


Isaac nodded, and stepped in front to lead the group on. They walked down the only passage leading onto another room, the one right in front. As they walked down this new passage, the stone changed abruptly from glittering orange to sparkling blue, the stone that constructed Mercury Lighthouse. They saw the end of the passage, and running through it, emerged into the room.

  
  


Everyone's breath was taken away as the saw the sheer difficulty of the task before them. The room was full of deep water. A small raft, just large enough for all of them to fit in, floated in the water just in front of them all. But that's not what frightened the group.

  
  


Whirlpools littered the water, the centers being swirling water leading downward infinitely. If they were sucked into those whirlpools, they reasoned, there would be no coming out, even if they abandoned ship. And they only got one shot at this, anyway.

"This doesn't look good," said Isaac fearfully.

"Mercury . . ." said Mia. "I feel extremely powerful right now. Even more so than in the Mercury Lighthouse."

"Lucky you," Garet said grumpily.

"Well, let's get this over with," said Lunora. "It won't do us any good to die of fright before we even get in the boat."

  
  


Isaac nodded mutely, and led everyone into the small raft. With their combined weight, the raft sank dangerously low, but it stay above water, and everyone was sure that the boat would not collapse due to their weight.

  
  


"I've got the oars," said Isaac. "I've had the most experience with rowing a boat."

"You'd think I would, but the waters around me are always frozen," said Mia, sitting across from Isaac, and squished against Lunora and Solaris.

"I can understand that," said Lunora. "When you think about it, we all come from areas covered by ice, except for Isaac, Garet, and Ivan."

"True," said Garet. "Now, let's see if I can get us through this stuff."

  
  


Garet slowly rowed the boat away from the edge of the floor, Mia directing him towards the other side. At first, the whirlpools were not placed close together, and Garet avoided them easily. But then, once he crossed the halfway point, the whirlpools started to get closer together, and Garet had to sail more slowly and carefully to avoid them. 

  
  


"Left a bit . . . now to the right . . . now left . . . no! Left, Garet! Left!" shouted Mia.

  
  


Garet had started to turn the ship right for a minute, straight into a nearby whirlpool. But, catching his mistake, he and Mia both threw their weight onto the opposite oar. In doing so, the boat turned sharply, and shot out of the current of the whirlpool. They had escaped death, but just barely.

  
  


Since this sudden propulsion speeded the ship up, they were making good time across the water, and luckily they were not headed towards any whirlpools. Garet, ashamed of his mistake, guided the boat very carefully to the opposite end, and touched the floor of the lighthouse gently. He motioned for everyone to get off, and then got off last.

  
  


"That was close," breathed Mia.

"Yeah . . . sorry about that," Garet apologized meekly.

"Don't worry about it, you were under pressure," said Ivan. "It probably would have happened to me if I was rowing."

  
  


Garet was taken by surprise that Ivan was actually sympathizing with him. Usually he was one to rub it in Garet's face, not take his side. But still, Garet appreciated those rare moments from Ivan when they came.

  
  


"Well, at least were alive," Garet said, in a small voice.

"Let's get going again," said Isaac. "Next up is my room: Venus."

  
  


Not looking back they walked through the passageway leading on, which led to a staircase. The blocks soon turned from a shiny blue to a dull brown. They were about to pass the trial of Venus, the hardest Venus challenge ever, Sol had said.

  
  


They walked down this new passageway for a minute or so, and then emerged in a desert-like setting, only it wasn't hot like a desert. It was more like a barren field. 

  
  


"I feel extremely powerful right now," said Isaac.

"I think that when we step into a room of our element, our power doubles to that of what it normally is," said Mia. "I know, I felt it too.

  
  


They all looked at the field again. On closer inspection, it looked entirely normal to the group, but then they saw an area where the sand on the ground was shaking. What happened next made the entire team jump back.

  
  


The sand fell through the ground, and a gaping hole widened in the floor. A pitfall. Since this pitfall was close to the safe edge of the floor, they were able to see where it led down to, and it wasn't pretty. 

  
  


It fell through to the first floor right above a swirling whirlpool. They must not have noticed the ceiling opening and sand falling into the whirlpools, which was understandable. They had to get to the other side safely, not look at other whirlpools or the ceiling.

  
  


"This is going to be very difficult, but we have a warning in advance. If the sand starts to shake under you, run like Hell. The pitfalls are not very wide, maybe the length of Solaris's Sol Blade, so you won't have to dash very far. Got it?" said Isaac.

"Got it," said everyone else.

"Also, we'll all take separate paths. If we go together, and try in vain to avoid a pitfall, we'll all drown. If we take separate paths, there'll still be some of you left to go on and try to stop Karst and Agatio."

"Don't talk like that," said Mia, shivering. "You make it sound as though you'll die."

"I may, though," said Isaac, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "I'm just trying to consider all possibilities. I have much confidence in you all. I'm sure we'll all make it to the other side."

"That's better," said Mia, smiling at him.

"All right, let's go!" said Isaac.

  
  


They all took to different areas of the room, and began to slowly walk across it. They took their steps one at a time, keeping an eye out for shaking sand both in front of them and underneath them. Occasionally, a tem member could see somebody else leaping out of the way, and then a black whole opening where the person once stood less than a second ago.

As they crossed the room, the pitfalls became more frequent, and soon everybody was jumping around, as if they were walking over the floor barefoot when it was hot to the touch. 

  
  


Isaac reached the other side first, followed by Lunora, and then Ivan. Mia reached next, and then Solaris. Garet, on the other hand, was still hopping around a little ways away from them, but he soon managed to get to the other side, after teetering dangerously on the edge of a pitfall, but managing to regain his balance.

  
  


"That was close," he said, panting.

"Yeah, I thought you were gonna fall through there for a second," agreed Isaac. "You scared me man." They clapped each other on the back. 

"Hey, what's that over there?" asked Ivan, pointing to their left.

  
  


They saw, quite clearly, a mound of sand moving along in a fixed pattern, right next to the edge of the safe floor. Isaac walked over, and stood in front of the moving mound. It ran into his feet, and almost knocked him over. But then, when the mound collided with Isaac, a Venus Djinni popped out from under the sand!

  
  


"You're a Venus Adept!" it squeaked abruptly, looking Isaac up and down. "My name's Geode. Since you're a Venus Adept, and I sense you have several other Djinn with you, I trust you enough to join you without fighting. So, I'm now yours!"

  
  


And with that, the Venus Djinni Geode joined Isaac. It instantly found Flint, who wold him he was the boss, and that Geode would remember that. Geode just chuckled, and went to meet the other Djinn, who quickly liked him very much.

  
  


"Okay, we're done with that room," said Solaris. "Let's proceed onto the Jupiter room."

  
  


They nodded silently, and walked through the passage leading deeper into the lighthouse. At the end, they climbed the stairs. Upon reaching the next floor, the sone changed from a dull brown to a pearly purple.

  
  


"Ah, now I feel really powerful," said Ivan loudly.

"That has nothing to do with what we have to face," said Lunora shakily. "Look."

  
  


He, and the others, took a good look around the room, and instantly knew that they'd have their work cut out for them. Moai statues were placed around the room, all facing the wall. They blew wind gusts out of their mouths at random. And in front of them, the gusts blew out into nothingness. Yes, part of the lighthouse was exposed to the outside, and if you got hit by one of those gusts, you'd fall to the ground below. 

  
  


Not only that, but you had to take the path along the Moai statues, because only those paths had ladders that you could climb, which would enable you to proceed up to the next floor of the lighthouse. So, they didn't have any other option, naturally, but to face the dangers of being caught up in those winds.

  
  


"Well, if you look at it this way, it's really no different than all the other rooms we faced," said Solaris evenly. "All have had life-threatening situations, so this really is no difference."

"True," said Ivan, looking determinedly ahead of him.

"Come on, there's no use staring at this stuff," said Lunora. "Let's try to get to the other side."

  
  


They split up again. Isaac, Mia, and Solaris took one side, and Garet, Ivan, and Lunora took the other side. Isaac, Mia, and Solaris were doing pretty well. They had passed the first three Moai statues without difficulty. Isaac and Mia had just cleared the fourth and final one, but Solaris wasn't so lucky.

  
  


The wind gust blew him right out the opening, but by a small chance of luck, Solaris was able to grab hold of the edge of the lighthouse. Mia screamed and Isaac had gasped sharply. They had thought that he would be falling to his death right now.

  
  


Over on the other side of the room, Garet, Ivan, and Lunora had just gotten past all four Moai statues without difficulty when they heard Mia's scream. Right away, this raised a red flag with all of them.

  
  


"That isn't good!" said Ivan nervously. 

"We've gotta go see if they need help or not!" said Lunora, and they all rushed up their ladder and climbed down the other one.

  
  


Solaris was grunting as he fought to resist the wind still blowing from the Moai's mouth, pushing against his fingers. Just when he though he could resist no longer, the wind ceased to blow. With a burst of superhuman strength, he was able to heave himself back onto the floor of the lighthouse, panting as though he'd just run up the side of the lighthouse.

  
  


"Thank Mercury!" said Mia, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Amen to that," agreed Isaac, dusting off Solaris and pulling him a little further away from the Moai.

"I'm glad I'm okay too," said Solaris, laughing nervously, and shaking slightly.

"Is everything okay here?" sounded a worried voice. 

  
  


Lunora came racing around the corner, followed closely by Ivan and Garet. They looked at Isaac, Mia, and Solaris, and instantly knew who had gone over the edge.

  
  


"Are you okay, man?" asked Garet.

"I'm fine," said Solaris. "Just a little shaken up, is all."

"Well, if we're ready to proceed, then we'd better go," said Ivan. "Not that I don't care about what happened to you, Solaris," he added quickly, after receiving a reproving glance from Mia. "It's just that we don't have a lot of time."

"He's right," said Solaris. "Let's be off. We only have two rooms left to get through."

  
  


The rest of the group nodded, and, Ivan in the lead, climbed up the ladder and onto the ledge. They then walked over to the passageway leading on. They reached the end, and climbed up the stairs to the next floor of the lighthouse, upon which the stone turned from a pearly purple to a flashing blood-red.

  
  


"Ahh, Mars . . ." sighed Garet, opening up his arms. "The power, the energy . . ."

"The sweltering heat, the burning fire . . ." continued Ivan. Then he added sarcastically, "what could get any better than this?" Garet didn't reply.

  
  


They walked down this short passage, the further they got into it, the hotter it became. When they reached the end, it was as hot as the fourth floor of the Mars Lighthouse, and everyone instantly started to sweat. 

  
  


"This brings back fond memories," snapped Isaac to himself, feeling his forehead get wet. 

"But not nearly as horrible," said Lunora. "Look at what we have to face now."

  
  


They looked, and wished they hadn't. The walls and ceiling were on fire. Not only that, but moving walls of fire extended from both walls, and one protruded from the ceiling. So, they were going to have to weave their way around three burning firewalls, without running into the actual walls. And the firewalls didn't allow much room for maneuvering.

  
  


"Welcome to Hell," said Garet. "Admission's free."

"It's like Hell all right," said Isaac. "Anybody feel like getting deep-fired?"

"Only if you do," said Mia, grinning animatedly at him, and throwing her arm around his waist.

"Oh I was born ready to do this," said Isaac sarcastically. "Let's get cooked shall we?" 

"With pleasure!" said Solaris.

  
  


So, sticking together this time, they slowly approached the moving firewalls. The one from the ceiling was at the far end of the room, the left wall was moving away from them, and the right wall was moving towards them. Because of this, they chose to follow the firewall moving away from them. 

  
  


They walked at the speed the wall was moving, trying to keep as far away from it as possible, for even the heat radiated from the wall burned their exposed skin slightly. Mia and Garet had traded Djinn again, and Mia cast Deluge over everyone once again. Then, abruptly, the wall in front of them switched directions, and headed right for Isaac and company.

  
  


They instantly dove out of the way, Ivan just barely making it, onto the floor and out of the way of the left firewall's path. The right firewall was behind them. They stayed ducked, because they felt the ceiling firewall pass right over their heads. And from here, everything was clear.

  
  


They all got up, and ran as fast as they could, as close to the right wall as they could, toward the other side of the room. They made it easily, but that didn't stop them from being nervous still.

  
  


"Man, I can't believe how close I came to having my leg burnt off," said Ivan, panting both from lack of energy and from the heat. 

"Yeah, it was all close," said Isaac. "Now, let's get out of here. I'm burning up."

"Good idea," said Garet, heading for the stairs. The rest followed him quickly. 

  
  


They climbed up the steps, and the higher they climbed, the cooler it got, which was a welcome relief to the whole group. But their nerves were escalating . . . it was time to pass the challenge of the Sol Lighthouse.

  
  


They emerged onto the fifth and final floor of the lighthouse upon which the stone turned from blood-red to glittering orange.

  
  


They instantly began to walk down the short passage, leading to Sol's challenge. Each step felt like an eternity, but finally, they reached the room of Sol, and took a good look around.

  
  


This room didn't look ominous, dangerous, or foreboding at all. On the contrary, it looked entirely ordinary. There was a pattern of Sol on the floor just in front of them, like there had been on the floor in the entrance room of the lighthouse. The only thing out of place were five platforms, large enough for one person to stand on, placed in a vertical line, each plate about two arms' length apart. And then, they saw a Djinni right in front of them, a little Sol Djinni!

  
  


"Hello," it squeaked, looking up at Solaris. "I'm prominence. I'm here to serve the first worthy Sol Adept who walks through that door. You're worthy, Sol has told me ahead of time. So, use me as you wish. You're gonna need me." And with that, Prominence joined Solaris, and began to speak to the other Sol Djinni, who instantly began debating.

  
  


Now, with the added words of Prominence, they didn't trust the room any more than they did the Mars room. They knew Sol was up to something.

  
  


"Where is he?" asked Solaris. 

"Yeah, I thought he was supposed to talk to us once we got here," said Garet, looking around, and listening for any signs that the voice might be coming back.

"Well, I'll look around," said Isaac, stepping forward onto the Sol depiction.

"Congratulations at passing the test of the four Common Elements!" boomed the voice, making everybody jump a foot in the air.

"Thank you!" said Solaris.

"Now, you must pass my test," said Sol in a superior sort of voice. "In fact, if ye think about it, it's not going to be that difficult. In fact, only one of ye has to perform the test to pass. But I choose who does."

Everyone waited with baited breath as the voice went silent for a few moments. Yes, Sol was right, it didn't sound that tough. But, Sol was probably a master of deception, so nobody let their guard down for even a second.

  
  


"I have made my decision!" said Sol after another few minutes.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" said Garet impatiently. "Who's going to take the test?"

"Ah, an eager Mars Adept," said the voice with amusement. "Well, the Sol Adept will take the test. Solaris is his name, is it not?"

"Yes, that's my name," said Solaris, looking nervous again.

"You are the one who will perform the test, but first I must give instructions to everyone else. Okay, all the rest will stand on the platforms. Go on!" the voice instructed. Everyone quickly chose a platform and stood on it. "Now Solaris, only you can hear me. They can't. So, anything we say will not be overheard, as we don't want to give away the challenge."

"Got it," said Solaris. "Why though?"

"I'm getting there!" said Sol. "Now, ye have the ability to go back in time and witness previous events?"

"I do have that power," said Solaris. "You must have felt me use you for it back in the cave on Tundaria.

"I do recall that," said Sol. "Now, I also recall ye saying that ye could not change time, only witness it. That is not true. So, your test will be to change time."

"What do you want me to change?" asked Solaris. 

  
  


Inside, he was truly scared now. He didn't know he had the power to change time, and now he had to try it and get it right the first time, or something bad would happen. He waited for Sol to speak again.

  
  


"If ye fail this test, your friends will die," said Sol. "Your task is to pull them back, not allow them to get on the platform, for right now, they cannot get off them. I will take ye back in time, and you'll have one minute to persuade them not to follow my order. Understand?"

"Y-yes," Solaris stuttered. His friends' lives were in his hands? He had to alter time?

"Good. Now, open your mind . . ."

  
  


Instantly, Solaris saw the golden ball of light forming in front of him, and then the beads of energy snaking up his arms. In another few seconds. There was a blinding flash of white light, and Solaris was taken back in time.

  
  


Three minutes from the present . . .

  
  


Solaris soon emerged in the Sol Lighthouse, in the room he was just in. He was standing off to the side of the platforms and the entrance to the room, so he had a good view of everything that would be going on.

  
  


He also noticed that he had a visual hourglass in front of his face, of which only he could see. The sand was not moving yet, and he assumed there was the equivalent of one minute of sand in the top hourglass bulb. 

  
  


He then saw Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Lunora, and himself come through the passage, and into the room. He watched as they got talked to by Sol. The two minutes seemed to drag on forever, but then he saw everyone but himself make their way towards the platforms.

"Now!" boomed a voice in his head. 

  
  


Instantly, the sand from the top bulb of the hourglass began to fall through to the bottom one. Solaris quickly ran forward and stood on the platform Garet was heading for. He stood still, like a statue, watching the sand.

  
  


"Hey, there's something on this platform!"

  
  


Garet pushed Solaris off, and stood on the platform like Isaac, Ivan, Mia, and Lunora had done. By this time, over half of Solaris's sand was gone.

  
  


'I've gotta think of something, quick!' thought Solaris, racking his brain for any ideas. Then, he came up with one. He just hoped to Sol that it would work. He walked up next to Isaac, and spoke in his ear.

  
  


"Get off the platform," Solaris said clearly. "Get off, now! You don't want to be on there!"

"What?"

"Get off the platform! And I'll tell the others. Get off of the platform, quick!"

  
  


Solaris watched with relief as Isaac stepped off and away from his platform. Solaris had only a few seconds' worth left of sand. He quickly went and repeated the message Garet, Ivan, and Mia. Now Lunora was left.

  
  


"Lunora, get off the platform. For your own safety, get off the platform!"

"Who said that?"

"Trust me! Get off-"

  
  


But instantly, the glowing ball of golden energy had returned. Solaris's time was up. The energy then snaked its way up his arms, and a few seconds later, there was a bright flash as Solaris went back to the future.

  
  


Sol Lighthouse, Present . . .

  
  


Solaris reappeared in front of the entrance to the room of Sol, and quickly walked forward towards his companions. He was very relieved to find out that Lunora had gotten off her platform. All were looking confused.

  
  


"There you are, Solaris!" said Isaac. "Where did you go? What . . ." 

  
  


But then, Isaac understood. He understood all. He knew Solaris had gone back in time and told them to step off the platform. He quickly relayed this message to the others. Mia looked like she understood, and so did Lunora (because she knew about Solaris's ability as well), but Garet and Ivan looked utterly confused. 

  
  


"Congratulations! Ye have passed my test! Now, had Solaris not passed his test, here's what would have happened."

  
  


They all watched with horror as an image appeared on the flat wall in front of them. It showed Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, and Lunora being trapped by a see-through solid device that they could not escape from. The gruesome part was yet to come. As they pounded on the substance solar flames erupted from the base of the platforms, incinerating them alive. But the most horrible part was listening to the screaming.

  
  


"Be thankful that ye have a wise and powerful Sol Adept with you. Now, ascend to the heavens, Adepts of Renown!"

  
  


And, the voice became no more. All were standing there, mouths open at the now-normal wall. They couldn't believe what just happened.

  
  


"Uh . . ." said Ivan, finally. "Thanks."

"Anytime," said Solaris, still looking dazed. 

"That is an image that'll be burned into my memory forever," said Mia, shuddering. "I'll never forget that."

"Neither will I," agreed Isaac. "Oh!"

  
  


He and the rest of the group were startled by a hovering platform that had just appeared, like the one in Venus Lighthouse that carried them to the Aerie. They approached it, and all got on.

  
  


"This is it," said Isaac. "The final battle. Weapons at the ready . . ."

  
  


And, as they rose and emerged outside, they all drew their weapons. By the time they landed on the top of the lighthouse, they had their weapons out. They were relieved to see that the beacon had not been lit yet.

  
  


"Okay, that's good," said Isaac. "The beacon hasn't been lit. Maybe they're not here yet."

"Guess again!" said a malicious voice.

  
  


They spun around, and saw Karst right behind them, leaning against a statue of the sun, and twirling the sparkling Sol Star between her fingers. She looked very triumphant, and was wearing a smirk to rival Ivan's.

"Let's end this, here and now," she said, drawing out her scythe. "Alex!"

  
  


Alex appeared out of nowhere, no doubt he just teleported to the roof. He looked like his usual calm self, not wavering, his blue hair blowing in the small breeze. By the feel of the temperature, it was still morning.

  
  


"What is it, Karst?" he asked.

"Take the star," she said, "but don't throw it into the well yet. I want to make them watch, and then me and Agatio," at this point, Agatio emerged from behind another statue, "can dispose of them."

  
  


This didn't sound good at all. Garet saw Felix, Jenna, and Sheba peering out at the goings- on from behind another statue of the sun looking fearful. 

  
  


"Yes, that sounds like a sound idea," said Agatio, drawing out his old sword, before he had the Sol Blade. "I want my old sword back. I guess bloodshed is the only way to get it."

"No! There will be no bloodshed today, except on one person!" came a muffled voice, which struck icy-cold terror into the hearts of Isaac and Garet.

  
  


They looked behind them, and sure enough, the only two people who could make a bad situation worse, had just burst onto the roof of the lighthouse. The assailants. They were still wearing black, their voices were still muffled, and their faces were hooded.

  
  


"Who are you?" asked Agatio, looking surprised.

"Bearers of the truth," said the muffled voice of the man. 

"What are you talking about?" snapped Karst. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but we have business to take care of. Now either clear out, or I'll have to get you out of my way as well."

"Not until you've heard us out," said the woman. "Maybe revealing our identities would help."

"Yeah, I'd like that," said both Garet and Isaac.

  
  


And with that, at long last, the assailants lowered their hood and removed their face mask. When the group figured out who they were, they almost fainted in shock.

  
  


"What the fu . . .?!" started Solaris, but before he could finish the sentence, speechlessness overtook him.

"How . . . how can this be . . ." breathed Karst, leaning on her staff for support.

  
  


The assailants were Saturos and Menardi. 

  
  


**************************

  
  


Ah ha! So that's who they were. Congratulations to Akachi and 0==l=R=a=g=n=a=r=o=k=! They guessed right! 

  
  


A cliffhanger? Maybe. You tell me. Until then.

  
  


Note: I will be postponing work on my fic Out of Place until I complete this one. Sorry, but I wanna get this done by the middle of November.

  
  


Remember the SirGecko deal! The more reviews I get, the more I work on this story, and therefore, the faster I update! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! 


	23. Battle for Weyard

And now, the person you've all been waiting for . . . yes, it is I, SirGecko! Sorry I haven't updated as frequently as normal. School has not been treating me well lately . . . damn place! But anyway, I have the much-awaited final battle here for all of you to read. It's a long battle chapter, once again 11 3/4 pages . . . I'm getting good at this long chapter stuff now. 

  
  


Oh, and I was just thinking . . . we've come a long way, haven't we? From the beginning of the journey to right here . . . if I'm making it sound like this is the last chapter, don't worry, it's not. We've still got one left to go. And an epilogue. And then, after that, a sequel, if you so desire it. I've got the ideas all planned out in my head, but don't mention this in your reviews yet. We'll talk about it in the afterthoughts, which comes after the epilogue. 

  
  


Okay, I got a storm of reviews! YAY! Fourteen of them! You guys are great. Now, to hear my replies . . .

  
  


AnimeMaster7: I'm glad you liked this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. And there will be no more cliffhangers, but I have to make them, otherwise you might not want to come back! But, I will say that constant cliffhangers would get old. I've never read a story with one, but it would get irritating, now wouldn't it? And I hope you got that project of yours done. Procrastination . . . another thing I'm good at as well. ^_^

  
  


0==l=R=a=g=n=a=r=o=k=: Yes, you did guess right! Good for you! And, maybe I should tone down on that near-death stuff . . . but then again, I didn't want it to be one where they just sailed through it with no problem. That wouldn't be very entertaining either.

  
  


Dragoon knight: Supposedly they did die. And how they survived . . . well, I'll explain that at the beginning of this chapter.

  
  


Bunder Black: Well, you should get a signed account, and add me to your favorites list! ^_^ Just kidding. But, I'm glad you like this fic. Thanks for your support.

  
  


jg1790: Well, I've made chapter 23. So be happy, and I hope you haven't starved from lack of reading this. But this is a mouthful, so you should feel pretty satisfied.

  
  


lemon eater: Your advice is good, and I'm glad you like this fic. however, I will not create a lemon. Sorry . . . but, I guess, just imagine it. That's the best you can do. I know you're not too happy with me right now . . . but hey. I can't please everybody.

  
  


cheese: You must have a lot of randomness. So do I. I'm glad you liked the last chapter.

  
  


Ssonic: My geckos have hereby declared war on you! They've barricaded themselves in an anti- weapons fire prism, and are calling in recruits! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Seriously though, keep reviewing. I'm glad you like my work.

  
  


QueenDragonGoddess: Well, somebody who likes cliffhangers . . . I never would have thought of it. Great, though! here's chapter 23 for you!

  
  


NintendoGamer: Well, I finally heard from you. I was beginning to wonder if you were dead . . . well, it's good to hear from you. I'm glad you liked those chapters, and I understand about school. That's why I took almost a week to update this. Otherwise I would have had it done Sunday. And get to work on that story! I've been waiting too long! And don't have too many heart attacks. I almost had three today, and they don't do much for you, now do they? I hope this chapter pleases you. 

  
  


Kevin C: I haven't heard from you, but judging by the fact that you gave me so much praise, and by the fact that you added this to your favorite stories list, and me to your favorite authors list, I can tell you like this stuff! I'm glad! Always nice to get such strong positive feedback. And yes, I made this vastly different from the game, otherwise the story might get boring. I'm glad you like my writing style. On a different note, I hope you're feeling better now. And there's no way you can eliminate all gecko food. They have their own Black Market that you have to bust first . . . heh heh.

  
  


Akachi: You've added me to your favorite authors list! Cool! Thank you very much. Now, you did guess right, which tells me that you're pretty smart! Don't listen to your muses. I'll send my geckos over there to deal with them if they ever get on your nerves again. And yes, I decided early that Saturos and Menardi wouldn't die. Even though they appeared dead, they weren't. And anyone who thinks they're evil needs to talk to my geckos about that. They'll change those anti-Proxians' view of things. Yeah!

  
  


TankMasterG: Yes, I'm glad you like the chapter. Keep reviewing, your support is much appreciated. And yes, I do have ideas for a sequel, but don't mention it until the afterthoughts, by which time I will discuss that with you. Oh, I'd like to see you try to get ahold of my geckos . . . geez, what is it with you guys? That's the third threat made on them in a week! Oh well. It's not like they can't handle themselves.

  
  


Sonja3: You're most welcome. I'm very glad you asked my permission first. Keep reviewing! 

  
  
  
  


Okay, I think that's it. Onto chapter 23! 

  
  
  
  


Chapter 23: Battle for Weyard

  
  


"How . . . how . . ." said Garet, dumbstruck.

"How did we survive?" Menardi finished the question for him. "It was close, and Saturos and I were on the brink of death. But somehow, the beam of Venus energy that had shot up through the lighthouse as we fell was enough to slow us down to where we could land, and not die on impact. And then, as you saw how we were rejuvenated when Saturos cast in the Venus Star, we were slowly healed by the Venus Psynergy, seeing as Venus and Mars share a symbiotic relationship."

"That makes sense," said Isaac cautiously.

"I'm still surprised to see you here, though," said Alex, not looking surprised at all.

"Yeah, you thought that you'd see us in Hell, did you?" sneered Saturos. "Well, consider us angels from Hell. We've come here to take you."

"What are you talking about?" asked Agatio, looking both confused and surprised.

"You, your fight against Isaac and his friends, and my brother . . . you've been fighting the wrong people! They just don't know the truth!" said Saturos.

"What is the truth?" asked Mia, looking keenly at Saturos and Menardi.

"Yes, it is time you were told," said Menardi. "We'll start from the beginning.

"Four years ago, when Vale was struck by that terrible storm, we were part of a raiding party that was tasked with stealing the elemental stars from their resting place, Sol Sanctum. We set out-"

"We know all this!" snapped Garet impatiently. "But, what we want to know is: why did you need to steal the elemental stars? Because you wanted power?"

"No, exactly the opposite," said Saturos. "We wanted to give power. Not to any human, even though the last person to touch the last star gets Alchemy's power, but to Weyard."

"What?" asked Mia.

"Weyard is eroding," said Menardi simply. "You and Isaac are probably the ones who will understand this concept most. You are aware of the power of water, yes?"

"I am," said Mia. "I should know, I use it."

"Well, You know that water can wear away at the earth, erode it?" said Menardi.

"Yes, I am," Replied Mia slowly, trying to absorb every detail.

"Well, why can't Gaia Falls, the falls that surround Weyard, erode away that the land, or Venus element?"

  
  


The whole group sat pondering this, except for Karst and Agatio. They had obviously known about this as well, seeing as they were the ones who would take over if Saturos and Menardi failed. They just listened, with bored expressions on their faces. Alex, meanwhile, had an unreadable expression on his face.

  
  


"It can . . . I guess," said Isaac.

"It is, even as we speak," said Saturos. "Can you think of what the eventual result will be if this is to continue?"

There was silence for a moment. Then Ivan said, "It erode its way all the way into the center of Weyard, until there's nothing left of it."

"Exactly!" said Menardi, gesturing toward Ivan. "The combined elemental power of the lighthouses is the only thing that can control Gaia Falls from devouring Weyard. That's why the lighthouses must be lit. To prevent the destruction of Weyard."

"But Weyard will be destroyed anyway! Won't it?" asked Lunora softly.

"Perhaps, yes," said Saturos. "But, the erosion is definite. If we don't act, it will definitely destroy our world. Now, we have to take the risk with the other one."

  
  


Isaac and company sat pondering this for a few minutes, while the Proxians, Alex, and the captives watched them apprehensively. 

  
  


"All right," said Isaac, finally. "We believe you."

"Isaac!" Garet protested. "But, what about the Wise One?"

"The wise one is miles away, on Angara. We're in Lemuria. And their story makes sense with everything. And it's better to act on certain proof than just speculation."

"I guess you're right," said Garet, giving in.

"I have a question though," said Solaris. "Why didn't you tell us this beforehand? We could have helped you, not try to kill you!"

"We didn't think you'd believe us," piped up Karst. "With the thought-defeat of Saturos and Menardi, we thought that your arrogance of having defeated your toughest foes would blind you of the truth."

"Well . . . I can understand where you're coming from," said Solaris.

  
  


All watched as he put down his Sol Blade, walk up to Saturos, and smothered him in a huge, bearhug. Saturos looked startled for a minute, and then smiled, and returned the hug, patting Solaris on the back. Isaac noted that this was the first time he'd seen a genuine smile from somebody from Prox. And, in truth, it was a nice sight to see.

This spurred Menardi and Karst to also hug, and Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Solaris, Lunora, and even Agatio couldn't help but grin at the sight of two siblings rejoicing with those siblings thought dead. Alex merely looked on, as though bored.

  
  


Eventually, Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Solaris broke apart, staring into the eyes of the person across from them. They then formally shook hands and turned to face the others. 

  
  


"We apologize for making such a scene," said Karst, smiling slightly at them all. "We as warriors try to hide our emotions."

"No, not at all, it was a welcome sight to see," said Lunora, smiling at them. 

"Question," said Isaac.

"Mm?" asked Menardi, looking at him.

"When you appeared in your mysterious form, you said that there would be no bloodshed today, except on one person. Well . . . who? Me?"

  
  


Instantly, Menardi's and Saturos's faces darkened. Their happy aura seemed to die, and their smiled turned upside down. Isaac recoiled slightly at the hatred he saw now burning in both sets of eyes.

  
  


"No, not you," said Saturos. "Definitely not you." And there was the clue. Their faces slowly turned towards Alex.

"Wha . . . Alex?" asked Mia. "Why him?"

"He has been plotting all this time to do what you were set out to prevent!" spat Menardi.

"What? You mean . . . use Alchemy's power to rule and destroy Weyard?" asked Lunora.

"Exactly!" snapped Saturos. 

"Well, I don't know why you'd think that," said Alex.

"We hear things, things from peasants, people who willingly give us information," explained Menardi. "There was one man who lived along the large river that runs through Gondowan, a man who tried to kill himself, in fact, but he was rescued by a ship passing by."

"That was us!" said Ivan at once. "We saw that man, and rescued him!"

"Was that you?" asked Saturos, surprised. "Well, I'm impressed. But, the reason he tried to kill himself was not because of Alchemy returning, it was because he knew that there were dark times ahead of us, all because he overheard Alex reciting his plans to himself as he wrote them in his journal!"

"No, I said those things when we were . . ." Alex then stopped there, realizing what he had just done. It was him. 

"Nice going, Alex," said Solaris, extracting his Sol Blade. "Now you've given yourselves ten opponents."

"Thirteen," said another voice.

  
  


Felix had strode over next to Isaac, and he had his own sword out. Jenna had her mace at the ready, and Sheba had a staff clutched in her hand that the rest had never seen before.

  
  


"No problem," said Alex, whipping out two glowing, blue scimitars, and holding them in an X pattern in front of himself. "I see there's no point in backing out of the mistake I so foolishly made. Yes, I plan to use Alchemy to gain eternal life. That will be my wish, as of now!"

  
  


Everyone else watched in horror as the tossed the star lazily at the hole in the middle of the floor, but it was knocked away by some device thrown at it. Isaac looked over at Solaris, in a position like he'd just thrown something. Isaac also noticed an empty sheath, the sheath where his serrated knife was kept.

  
  


The star rolled across the ground. Both Ivan and Alex lunged for it, but Alex was closer to it. He managed to grab hold of it, but he got his hand cut in the process by Ivan's Kikuichimonji. Crying out, Alex instantly moved his good hand over his bad. When they could see the cut hand, it was completely healed again.

  
  


"You see?" he said, in a superior tone of voice. "No matter the level of damage you inflict upon me, I can always repair it. So come on! Give me all you got!"

"Are you in on this, Menardi? Saturos?" questioned Garet.

"Damn straight," snapped Saturos, whisking out the sword that they had all known. Menardi twirled her scythe around her artfully.

"You're up against some of the fiercest warriors in all of Weyard!" called Ivan. "Do you really think you can take on all of us at once?"

"Yes, actually I do," said Alex, smiling and waving his scimitars. "I get stronger with every lighthouse lit. So, I have the power of all of you put together, plus ten more!"

"Arrogance and him do not go well," muttered Jenna.

"No they don't," agreed Karst, stepping up beside her. "Okay, Alex. Let's see if you're made of what you say!"

  
  


She and Menardi ran forward, scythe raised in a defensive position. Alex got in a battle stance, and met them head-on. All the rest saw were two blue blurs whirling about in the air in front of Alex, and the two sisters trying to defend themselves. They had virtually no opportunity to attack him.

  
  


Karst eventually lunged backward and cast Supernova on Alex. He was knocked backward, and he fell off his feet. Singed, but otherwise not affected by the attack, he leapt back up and, grasping his swords on either side of him, spun around viciously. Menardi had to duck, and Karst launched herself back again.

  
  


"I'm unstoppable!" cried Alex gleefully. "I've been going easy on you too!"

  
  


He cast Diamond Berg on Karst, encasing her in a solid, jagged block of ice. Then, he ran forward and began to slash viciously at the ice, and, when he broke through it all, he continued to slash for a second or two. When he was done, and he'd stepped back to look at what he did, he and the others saw Karst slump to the ground, shallow slashes painting red streaks all over her body. She had fainted, but was still alive.

  
  


"You fiend!" shrieked Menardi, swinging her scythe wildly, in a fit of rage. 

  
  


This time, it was Alex who had to avoid the cuts with the scythe. He was somewhat taken aback at the new energy that flooded her. She swung wildly, trying to hit, to harm any part of Alex that she could, the one who had harmed her sister.

  
  


Eventually though, she began to lose energy, and through her increasingly feeble swipes with the scythe, she saw that she had done no harm to Alex at all. He just stood back and watched her try to hit him.

  
  


"You have energy, and spirit," he said plainly. "But I win."

  
  


And with that, he threw one of his scimitars at Menardi. Had she not moved three inches to the left, it would have gone straight through her abdomen, but no. This critical move landed one of Alex's scimitars in her right side, down to the hilt.

  
  


She did not scream, but instead gritted her teeth, panting, as she slowly reached blood-stained hands to the hilt of the weapon that penetrated her. She slowly grasped the handle, and with one swift move, she pulled the weapon out of her side, letting out a shriek of pain as she did so. As soon as the weapon was out of her body, she collapsed on the ground next to her sister. Menardi's blood then Merged with Karst's and it became a puddle next to them.

  
  


Mia ran forward and examined them, casting Pure Ply on Menardi's wound, and casting it all over Karst. The wounds healed and the skin mended, but the blood lost was not replaced. She turned back to the group.

  
  


"They'll survive," she said. "But they're going to be pretty sore when they wake up." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone, that is, except Alex.

"Dang," he said. "I'm losing my touch. But practice makes perfect. Who is next to challenge the power of Mercury?"

"We are," said Saturos and Agatio, stepping forward.

"And I am to fight alongside my brother, and his teacher," added Solaris, stepping next to Saturos. "Here, Agatio, take this," said Garet, holding up the second Sol Blade. "You're much better with it than I am."

"Wise move there, Garet," said Agatio. "Thanks."

"Well, what are you worried about? That I'll land a fatal blow on one of you? That may be the case. But not if you're lucky!" Alex cackled insanely. 

  
  


The battle raged on, as Saturos, Agatio, and Solaris ran forward to engage Alex. Blades whirred. The sound of colliding metal rang the air, and grunts could be heard as the men in battle whirled their swords through the air. Saturos had apparently gained more skill with his blade, and he was now as efficient with it as Solaris and Agatio were with the Sol Blades. 

  
  


"You wield that piece of crap of yours well Saturos," Agatio joked.

"Shut it! I'm trying to survive here," growled Saturos, knocking away one of the blue scimitars.

"Trying, yes . . ." said Alex, blocking a blow from Solaris. "Succeeding . . . I think not."

  
  


Alex knocked sway Saturos's sword hand, and then plunged his scimitar straight into Saturos's abdomen. Saturos grunted with pain, and fell backward, and, since Alex was still holding onto the scimitar, the sword slid out of his stomach. Saturos rolled away from the battle, faintly aware of Agatio and Solaris continuing the fight with Alex. 

  
  


Mia met him while he was rolling on the ground, away from the fight taking place. She healed the flowing wound in his abdomen, and Saturos stopped rolling around. The skin and wound were mended, and he was still conscious.

"Thanks," he muttered. "It still hurts like Hell."

"It will for a while," said Mia. "I'd try walking around, so you can get used to the pain."

"I'm a warrior!" he said, getting up. "I'm no stranger to pain, especially after the Venus Lighthouse."

"Sorry, we didn't know," said Mia in a small voice, guilt rising in her chest.

"We're the ones who should be sorry. We brought it on ours-"

  
  


But his words were silenced by another shout of pain. Saturos and Mia looked over, and Saw that Solaris had been the next victim to the scimitars. His wound wasn't serious, but it was in a critical area. Mia rushed over, so that less blood would have dripped from his neck had she walked there.

  
  


"Are you okay?" she asked, but Solaris could do nothing except cough blood onto Mia. She seemed not to mind though as she healed his neck. 

"Thanks," Solaris said weakly after a minute, taking his red-stained hands away from the now-mended cut on his neck.

  
  


Agatio was still fighting Alex, but it looked like Agatio's energy was dwindling. Alex, meanwhile, didn't look fazed at all, but wore his usual, expressionless look as he swung his scimitars to attack and defend against Agatio.

  
  


"Agatio! Use this!" rasped Solaris, tossing Agatio his Sol Blade. Agatio easily took it in his left hand, and resumed fighting Agatio. 

  
  


Now, two titans were engaging in swift combat, each evenly matched with two swords. Agatio didn't seem affected by the extra weight of the second Sol Blade. He whirled it about in his left hand as skillfully as the one in his right. 

  
  


Then, Agatio leapt up into the air, like Solaris had done way back when he was fighting the bounty hunters. Twirling both swords in his hands so fast that nobody could see them, everybody watched the master at work as he artfully worked with the swords. 

  
  


Then, Agatio was coming down, the swords pointed straight down at Alex. Alex reared back with his scimitars, and swiped them forward with all his might. His aim true, he knocked the swords away from his body. Agatio, taken by surprise at this defensive move, didn't alter the swords in time. One of the Sol Blades, Solaris's, went straight through his opposite arm. 

  
  


Agatio hissed through his teeth in pain, and instantly wrenched the now-bloodstained sword out of his right arm. He grasped so that less blood would escape from the wound. He saw Mia running up out of the corner of his eye, and a second later, felt her by his side.

  
  


"It's not so bad," said Agatio. "I've had worse."

"Well, let me take care of it anyway," said Mia, removing Agatio's hand from the wound, and casting Pure Ply on it. They both watched as the blue skin returned, good as new.

"Thanks," said Agatio. "But I can't fight anymore."

"Round two to me!" crowed Alex. "Come on. Who's next? Let's hurry up, I want to get this lighthouse lit."

"Third time's a charm, Alex!" said Felix, as he, Jenna, and Sheba walked forward. "And the charm is ours."

"We'll see about that!" said Alex, and Felix, Jenna, and Sheba began to battle.

  
  


Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, and Lunora watched with interest; it had been over a year since they had seen Felix and Jenna fight. They didn't know how Sheba fought at all, so they had something new to see.

  
  


Apparently, Felix and Jenna had gained a considerable amount of skill as they traveled the world, for they were now fighting almost as good as Isaac and Garet. They had always been the two better weapon-wielders of the four. Sheba had a style of fighting that they'd never seen before. She'd lay back for a minute, until she saw something about the battle. She'd fight for a minute or so, and then lay back again. She seemed to be looking for a strategic weakness in Alex.

  
  


"Felix, where did you and your sister learn to use weapons so well?" asked Alex, blocking a blow from Jenna. "I didn't think you escaped much."

"We felt it was necessary, in case we were attacked," said Jenna. 

"I thought so too," added Sheba. "And it paid off. We have to fight scum like you."

"My dear, I merely have ambition," said Alex. "Now, you have a problem on your hands."

  
  


With that, he took his two scimitars and slit Sheba's wrists. Since this was not a painful wound, but still fatal, she gritted her teeth and walked over to Mia herself, who had seen the wound and was walking to her.

  
  


"Looks like I got off lucky," said Sheba.

"Well, you wouldn't have if I hadn't seen this so soon," said Mia, healing Sheba's wrists.

"Yeah . . . well, I don't think I'll fight anymore," said Sheba slowly. "I learned as a small child that lucky rarely strikes twice at the same door."

"True," said Mia. 

  
  


Felix and Jenna were putting up a valiant effort; Felix was able to defend both of them while Jenna tried to hit Alex. But, as good as the defense was, Jenna kept missing. It wasn't because she was a bad aim, it was because Alex was too quick for her.

  
  


"Tired yet?" asked Alex, swiping at Felix, who blocked.

"Getting there," said Jenna casually, swing at Alex, who dodged. "At least we admit it. We're not arrogant, like you."

"Ah, but I have good reason to be," said Alex. "I have taken down six Adepts, and-"

  
  


But Jenna had stepped back and cast Flare Storm on Alex. He reeled slightly, as he did when he was hit by Karst's Supernova. But, the spell didn't knock him off his feet. On the plus side, Alex was showing small signs of fatigue here and there.

  
  


"Vicious, your whole clan," said Alex to Jenna, as she lunged back into the swordfight. "You're all brutes."

"And I can't even start to describe how much you disgrace the Mercury Clan," said Felix, blocking both Alex's scimitars from piercing Jenna's throat. "It's horrid."

"Well, maybe there'll be more like me," said Alex. "And then the others will be the disgraced. And when I have Alchemy's power, that will be the order of things."

  
  


He took this moment to do a fake with one of his scimitars. When Felix went up to block it, Alex plunged the other one into Felix's left leg. Felix jumped away on his one good foot, and fell to the ground, moaning in pain, clutching his stabbed leg.

  
  


Mia came over at once, and put her hand gently over Felix's leg, healing it completely. She told him, as she did everyone else, that he'd be stiff for awhile, but he'd be just fine. She helped him to his feet, and they hobbled away from the battle.

  
  


"Do you think she's gonna be okay?" asked Felix, referring to Jenna, who was still dueling with Alex.

"She's lasted this long, hasn't she?" said Mia optimistically. "I think she'll be fine."

  
  


She was proved wrong, however. She had no sooner let the words slip her mouth when there was a shriek, and she saw Jenna fall to the ground, her staff rolling across the stone roof of the Sol Lighthouse. Mia rushed up to her, and pinpointed the source of her pain. Alex had sliced her across the right shoulder. 

  
  


"It's okay, Jenna," Mia said soothingly. "We'll get this shoulder taken care of." She healed it instantly. "Okay, you're fine now. It'll be stiff for a bit, and you shouldn't fight anymore." Jenna nodded.

"Okay, come on, let's go!" said Alex, pulling out the star. "I want to put this where it belongs."

"Down your throat?" snapped Lunora. "Why, all you had to do was ask." Ivan and Garet chuckled.

"All right," said Isaac. "Let's send this bastard straight to Hell."

"With pleasure!" said Garet, walking over and picking up his Sol Blade, swinging it around.

"Garet . . . be careful," pleaded Jenna, clasping his hand as he walked by. Garet nodded numbly, amazed at this show of affection.

  
  


Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, and Lunora slowly walked forward to face Alex. Mia suddenly held out her arms, halting the rest in her tracks.

  
  


"This is personal," she whispered.

  
  


She approached Alex slowly, a determined expression set in her face as she slowly drew out her Crystal Rod. It seemed to take forever, but she finally stopped in front of Alex, Crystal Rod gripped in both hands. 

  
  


They stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity to the others. Isaac saw burning hatred in Mia's eyes, and a black, expressionless void in Alex's. He was neither intimidated or unchanged at this sudden change of action.

  
  


Then, at once, they both raised their weapons and lashed out at each other, metal clanging on metal. It was split-second, staff and swords joined together at the attack that occurred at the same time. Then, they began to duel.

  
  


Isaac's, Garet's, Ivan's, and Lunora's mouths hung open as they watched Mia fight Alex. They had never seen her battle like this, with such fire, energy, and hatred. It was doing wonders for her skill. She was dodging every attack from Alex not with her staff, but leaping in every direction to avoid the stabs. When she wasn't leaping, she was attacking with such ferocity that Alex was slightly taken aback. 

  
  


The staff, sensing this radiating power from Mia, unleashed Drown upon Alex. Of course, it had hardly any effect, except to get him all wet. Then, she leapt back and cast Ice Missile.

  
  


Alex was able to block many of the razor-sharp icicles raining from the sky, but there were a few that did get through. And when the attack was over, many shattered icicles lay scattered around Alex, but there were a few embedded shallowly in his chest. He wrenched them out slowly, and saw that the tips of the icicles were being melted by his own, hot blood. He looked at Mia with a mixture of amazement and anger.

  
  


"A smart move," he said stiffly. "I'll admit to you that that was painful. But if you'll forgive me for saying so, it didn't do much."

  
  


Mia and Alex then lunged at each other again, and began locked in another swift, fierce battle. Metal clanged off metal, as the battle raged on. It didn't seem like either was running out of energy.

  
  


"Boy, I've never seen her fight us like that," said a weak voice from behind Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Lunora. 

"Nor have I," said another voice.

  
  


Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Lunora spun around quickly, and saw that Menardi and Karst had woken up. They were obviously watching the battle from where the were lying on the ground. 

  
  


"Auuuuuuugh!" came a sharp cry of pain, but this time, it was not from Mia. It was Alex.

  
  


Alex apparently had been cut across the chest. There was a rip in his clothing, and they could see a red line streaked across the chest underneath; apparently Mia's staff had a sharp spot on it. 

  
  


Now, Alex looked furious. He started to swing his swords wildly, in a rage. It was not soon after that Mia paid the price, but she got very lucky. At one particularly wild swing, the hilt of one of Alex's scimitars connected with Mia's skull, and she slumped to the ground, unconscious.

  
  


"Mia!" shouted Isaac, starting towards her, but stopped when he felt a blade held to his throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Alex manacingly. He looked deranged.

  
  


Isaac stepped back, and Alex lowered the blade. He was now furious as well, and he was ready to shred Alex into a thousand pieces.

  
  


"Kill him," he said, glaring at Alex.

"Fine by me!" roared Garet, lunging forward with his axe raised. The rest followed suit.

  
  


Alex, now bleeding, rather tired, and very angry, was starting to lose some of his fighting ability. He was able to dodge and block many of Isaac's, Garet's, Ivan's, and Lunora's attacks, but soon he was wearing thin. He knew drastic action must be taken.

  
  


"Freeze Prism!" he shouted.

  
  


Because this move was so unexpected, Isaac, Garet, Ivan, and Lunora didn't have time to fend off the cages of ice the size of houses. All twelve cages slammed onto them, one after another. Isaac, after getting hit with two, was able to slow down the rest that came his way with his sword, but others weren't so lucky.

  
  


After the attack had subsided, all the battlers but Alex were found staggering around the roof of the lighthouse, cut, battered, and bleeding from the barrage of ice that slammed onto them. Garet, being weak to Mercury, had just collapsed, motionless. Lunora was the least-beaten up of them all. She was still in pretty bad condition, but she wasn't staggering.

  
  


Soon, Isaac and Ivan were able to gain control of their staggering, and they met up again in front of Alex, next to Lunora. Now regaining strength, they took up battle stances with bloodstained hands.

  
  


Alex showed no mercy. No sooner had Isaac, Ivan, and Lunora got ready to fight again then Alex cast Froth Spiral on them. The bubbles flowed out of his hand, and soon collided with Isaac, Ivan, and Lunora with the force of a small explosion. Not only that, but the water didn't allow breathing either. So, by the time the torrent of bubbles ended, all three were lying on the ground, conscious, but certainly not able to battle anymore.

  
  


"That was too simple!" shouted Alex, sheathing his scimitars artfully.

"What? It's over already?" whispered a small voice.

  
  


Isaac looked around, and saw Mia tilting her head upward, to get a good look at what was going on. She had a throbbing lump on her head, and the red of her blood and the blue of her hair meant that there were purple streaks in her hair. She was watching as Alex drew out the star. 

  
  


"I'm sorry Mia," said Isaac slowly. "He unleashed his most powerful psynergy on us, and took us down. We didn't have a chance."

"Well, this is it," said Lunora. "All the lighthouses will be lit, and the erosion will stop, but a new terror will be unleashed on Weyard. A ruthless dictator with a lust for power and wealth."

  
  


All were watching as Alex began to walk towards the gaping hole in the middle of the roof. He was going to toss the star in, and them he'd be immortal, have all the power he could want, and all the money in the world. If somebody didn't stop him . . . if he dropped the star in . . .!

  
  


Lunora prayed with all her might that some force would arise and take down Alex before he had a chance to toss the star into the Sol Lighthouse. She prayed to Sol that all would be safe, that Alex couldn't get to the well in time.

  
  


For a minute, it seemed as though her miracle was occurring. She saw Solaris, Sol Blade extended in front of him, sneaking behind Alex. With a thrill, she realized that he was going to stab Alex and take the star before he could throw it in.

  
  


"For Weyard!" he heard him shout.

  
  


Alex started, and before he could turn around, let out a piercing scream as Solaris drove his Sol Blade straight through his gut, the other half of the sword coming out of Alex, front, the metal smeared red and dripping with Alex's blood.

  
  


Alex started to wretch, and then, as though in a last-ditch effort, caught Solaris completely by surprise this time. As he collapsed to his knees, he rolled the Sol Star as hard as he could on the ground, toward the well. He was going to light the lighthouse anyway!

  
  


Solaris, letting out a roar, let go of the Sol Blade, and threw himself forward in an attempt to grab the star, but he came up short. The star rolled just barely beyond his reach, and dropped into the well.

  
  


It was as though time had stopped. All waited, all except Alex watching in pure horror at what just occurred. After what seemed like an eon, they felt the rumbling and shaking of the Sol Lighthouse. Seconds later, a brilliant flash blinded them all, and the swirling ball of Sol energy rose to the top, and began swirling above the well. It was yellow, and it glowed more brightly than any of the other spheres they saw.

  
  


All of a sudden, Solaris's Sol Blade fell out of Alex, and Alex's flesh began to mend. His strength returned. All watched as he got to his feet, and flexed his arms. They worked perfectly. 

  
  


"At last! My dream has been fulfilled!" he shouted gleefully, opening his arms to the sky. "Oh mighty Sol, talk to me! Confirm that I have your power!"

"Alex . . ." said the voice all recognized to be Sol's. "You have gained my power, of which includes immortality, infinite wealth, and infinite power. I have nothing more to say-"

"Yes!" shouted Alex, arms still extended. "I shall harness my power to destroy the village of-"

"Except one thing," Sol finished. "Seeing as the Sol Adept, Solaris, made a valiant attempt at trying to defeat you for his own purposes, but failed . . . I still admire that willpower. So, I'm granting him one wish, to do with what he pleases. He may have anything he wants, except for anything Alex already has."

"Really?" asked Solaris, looking dumb-struck.

"But . . . but Sol you can't . . ." started Alex, but he fell silent as his own comprehension dawned on him. "No. No, I do not mind. He cannot have anything of mine, of which includes immortality. So, let him waste it. I do not care."

  
  


Solaris was still absorbing what Sol had given him. He wondered what to use his wish for. Being reunited with some of his own clan came to mind, along with several other things . . . but, then he stopped thinking about himself, and tried to think about what would benefit the world in the dark times to come.

  
  


"Solaris!" he heard Mia shout from behind him. "Come here. I have something to tell you."

  
  


Wondering what this could possibly be about, Solaris nodded and walked slowly towards Mia, who was looking like she had just figured out how to become a God. She waved her finger at Solaris, telling him to bend down so that she could whisper in his ear.

  
  


As she told Solaris what she wanted him to hear, Solaris kept nodding all the way through. As soon as she was finished, he looked like he had been appointed the ruler of the Gods himself. Smiling serenely, he strolled over to Alex.

  
  


"This was Mia's idea Alex," he began, "and I happen to like it very much. So, I'm going to make my request."

"What is there to request?" said Alex triumphantly. "I have all power, limitless life, and wealth! What good can you do? What can you do to benefit yourself?"

"Arrogance, Alex . . ." said Solaris, shaking his head, "has always been your worst enemy. I don't wish for anything for myself."

"Give it up!" shouted Alex maniacally. "There's nothing you can do to stop me! I have it all!"

"Oh see, my request is very simple," said Solaris. "Alex! I . . . want . . . you . . . dead!"

"Solaris has made his wish," said Sol.

"Wait!" said Alex, looking very frightened now. "I have immortality! You said he can't wish for anything I don't have!"

"And he didn't wish for immortality, did he?" replied Sol. "I'm afraid this is your end, Alex. Farewell."

  
  


And, despite Alex's shouts of protest, a translucent, yellowish-green sword descended upon Alex from the sun. Alex, seeming to have been immobilized, watched the sword with great fear in his eyes. Then, not moving, the sword struck him right where the heart was. He fell to the ground, his right hand outstretched in front of him his blood once again pouring onto the roof of the lighthouse.

  
  


Mia had gotten up and stood next to Isaac, who was laying behind Solaris. She watched Alex writhe with a vacant expression in her normally cheerful cerulean eyes. She watched Alex die, her arms crossed, and her face in a frown.

  
  


Alex looked up at her, just before he died, and rasped, "Bitch." He then collapsed, not moving, not breathing, on the floor of the lighthouse.

  
  


Everyone looked around at each other. Mia, seeming to have regained her identity as a healer, went on a rampage, casting Pure Ply on everyone in sight. Soon, everyone was getting to their feet, standing in disbelief. 

  
  


Ivan then spoke. ". . . It's over."

  
  


**********************

  
  


Their quest is over. But now, they have to get home . . . so, stay tuned! The story is not finished yet! 

  
  


And, remember the SirGecko deal! The more reviews I get, the mire I type, and the faster I update! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!

  
  


(I would have updated sooner, but school got in the way. I apologize . . . it won't happen again.)

  
  



	24. New Ties Created

Aww damn! This is the last chapter! Yes it is I, SirGecko, back with the final chapter: number 24. It's 11 1/2 pages long as well (I'm getting pretty consistent, aren't I?), so It's not a short ending by any means. Actually, a good part of it takes place in Lemuria, so for all you Lemurian fans out there, you'll like this one. 

  
  


Anyway time to respond to the 15 reviews that I got! *cheers for the hell of it*

  
  
  
  


Sukasa The Third: Yay! No death threats! Now I'm not writing at gunpoint! Jk, jk. And what's the point of continuing this? Why, don't you want an epilogue? You know you do. Come on. And no, Alex is not gonna be revived. That is farfetched.

  
  


QueenDragonGoddess: Yes, I thought the chapter was amazing too (not trying to brag here), and it was really fun to write. And here's the next and last . . .*sniff* . . . chapter for you, so enjoy. And yes, I thought Mia deserved a little anger-driven revenge of her own. Let her have the spotlight for once. You're right about most other authors. You don't know how many fics I have read where she's just the cook, and nothing else, and it aggravates me. I mean, she's not worthless, people! HELLO!!!

Dragoon Knight: Well, look on the plus side. I've never kept you hanging for more than six days. Why stop here? 

  
  


bladegryphon: So, I finally hear from you! What, have you been tracking this whole story and not reviewing? You bad person! ^_^ Oh well, it's nice to hear from you again, 24 chapters later. Anyway, here's the last chapter, for your reading pleasure. Enjoy! 

  
  


Anime-Master7: Hello, sir. You survived! Great! Now, congratulate yourself for two things, no, three things. One: you put me on your favorites list. Way to go. Second: you've reviewed every chapter. I mean, every single one. It's much appreciated. Clap, or something, or go buy a pack of Spearmint gum (my favorite ^_^). Third, well, my geckos like you. That's good. No threats from them to you! And no, I was not aware that I put GS: TLA spoilers in there (oops), so I apologize. 

  
  


Bunder Black: Well, I can tell you like my work. That's good. And close your mouth. You'll need to hang it open now. You'll like the ending, I think . . .

  
  


Kirlos1253: Well, suspenseful is what I meant for it to be. Good, at least I'm getting that right.

  
  


Ssonic: They're about five inches long. One of them makes icicles and throws them like javelins at people, and the other torches people with a flamethrower made out of aluminum pencil tubing and a tic-tac box. Why? Oh, and make sure my weapons don't react with your spells . . . the back-draft aimed at you might not be pleasant. But anyway, you're right. I considered the idea of them all just charging Alex and beating the shit out of him right there. But that would make for a boring chapter, now wouldn't it?

  
  


cheese: It is mucho cool! And here's the journey home for ya, all in this chapter! Enjoy!

  
  


Kevin C: I'll agree with those two words. I like Mia, I think she's my favorite character, unless you count Saturos. And like I said to QueenDragonGoddess, I think a little anger-driven revenge against Alex suited the chapter well. And yes, I was waiting to do the Proxian reuniting for a long time. I thought it made sense too, since Menardi wasn't really dead . . .

  
  


Great Saiyaman: I put a small Ivan/Lunora scene in here just for you. It was a deciding scene too, so that'll make up for its size. I mean, it's not a two-liner, but not over a page, either. So, please be happy.

  
  


TankMasterG: That was a good chapter, if I do say so myself. It was very fun to write. Lots of action . . . you can count on battle chapters being packed with it! And Alex is evil. He didn't get impaled by Sol Blades (unless you count Solaris's). He got impaled by Sol's Blade. Cool, eh? And, I like to keep people going to the very end. It shows I write intense work, and that's the way I like it. 

  
  


jg1790: Sol's Fury and Megiddo . . . ohhhh, that'd smart. But you'll like this chapter, even though it's just a closer. Enjoy.

  
  


NintendoGamer: Don't be embarrassed. It doesn't matter how long you take, it's whether the chapters are good or not. And I think the stories you've written are very good, so there's no reason to feel embarraseed. So shape up. The stuff will come to you. I remember, it took me tow weeks to write chapter 10, not because it was so long, but because thinking up stuff for mazes is difficult. But people enjoyed it see? So really, it doesn't matter. As long as what you write is good, the reviewers who truly appreciate what you do will overlook the time it took you to write it, and concentrate on quality. It's what I try to do, anyway ^_^. So, keep at it. You'll get it.

  
  


Akachi: School is evil and belongs in Hell . . . yes, I'll support that statement of yours with a rally! ^_^ ALEX IS DEAD! HAR HAR HAR! The fight scenes were a blast to write, hopefully as much as they were a blast to read. So, we're both happy there. Cool!

  
  
  
  


Anyway, those are your replies. On with the closer, chapter 24! 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 24: New Ties Created

  
  


"You're right, Ivan," said Isaac. "After all this traveling . . . the time away from home . . . the defeats . . . it's over. And we win!"

  
  


And so they all began to celebrate in their own little way. Agatio, Solaris, and Saturos all smothered each other in a group bear hug. Menardi and Karst started talking and laughing together, as though they were still young girls learning the simple ways of the world. Isaac and Mia started to kiss, Garet was just pumping his fist into the air and wearing a triumphant look on his face, until Jenna walked over to him and gave him a huge hug. Ivan and Lunora just stared at each other for the longest time, and then drew each other into a kiss as well. 

To Isaac, and some of the others, it was a welcome relief to be through with this quest, even though they still had to sail home. But, at the same time, it would be a disappointment to see all the friends they had met along the way go back home. Isaac was thinking in particular about Solaris and Lunora, who had aided them so much throughout the journey, and how they would probably head for Prox like Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio. 

  
  


But, Isaac wanted to enjoy the remaining time that he and the others had with those bound for Prox, and he wanted to celebrate the death of Alex and the downfall of him with the others. 

  
  


"Come on, guys!" he shouted. "This calls for a celebration! Let's go spend the night in Lemuria tonight!"

"Hell yeah!" Garet approved, punching his fist into the air. 

"Finally, I'm not under a strict control anymore," said Felix. "The way Alex bossed me around . . . it was enough to drive me crazy."

"Well, let's get off this lighthouse," said Isaac. 

  
  


So he, with the help of Felix, Retreated everybody to the bottom of the lighthouse. They stepped outside instantly. They noticed that even the weather seemed to be celebrating. It wasn't blazing hot like they predicted, but very nice and pleasant out. And they could see something else too.

  
  


Five spheres had appeared in the sky, very faint, but still visible: a blue sphere to the northwest, a yellow, red, and purple sphere to the west, and a gray sphere to the south. They reasoned that with the lighting of all the lighthouses, all spheres would be visible. They were the swirls of light atop each lighthouse: Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Luna, and Mars. They looked up, and noticed that the orange swirl of Sol energy had doubled in brightness, and it hurt the eyes to look directly at.

  
  


"Our ship is over here," said Karst, pointing to a ship about a half-mile down the beach from Isaac and company's ship.

"Okay, we'll meet you in Lemuria," said Solaris, grabbing the plank to their ship and positioning it so that they could walk aboard.

  
  


They all got on their ship, and, since Isaac and company were ready first, they turned the ship east and sailed the five minutes or so to Lemuria with no problem. When they docked, and the other ship still had not arrived, Garet voiced something they'd all been feeling.

  
  


"It's feels weird to be talking to the Proxians as if we've known them all our lives," he said.

"Yeah, just weeks before, we thought we'd killed two of them, and we've been making death threats to the other two," agreed Ivan. "It's a mad world."

"Well, here they come now," said Isaac, looking off towards the lighthouse, and seeing a ship headed towards them. 

  
  


They got off and waited for Karst's ship to dock. When it did, Isaac and company helped them put up the ramp, so they could get off faster. When that was done, they finally took a look at their surroundings.

  
  


The city seemed like a place that looked run-down, yet had people who were cheerful at heart. There were people standing around here and there, laughing, some even celebrating. They found out why when one of them pointed to the beacon of the Sol Lighthouse and cheered. 

  
  


Thin fog hovered around everywhere, giving the city a unique aura about it. It seemed mysterious, yet inviting. The pillars, having been worn with age, glinted slightly with the dew and fog that had collected on them. The buildings looked aged, and everything seemed to sparkle. No wonder everyone wanted to come here . . .

  
  


"Whoa! We have visitors!" shouted a voice. 

  
  


The whole group started, and looked around for the source of the voice. It turned out to belong to a man with long blue hair, in a combination of a Pirate's and an Adept's choice of clothes. He approached Isaac and the rest eagerly.

  
  


"Who are you?" the man asked.

"I'm Isaac," he said. "And these are my companions." He introduced everybody.

"I see," said the man. "Well, my name is Piers. We haven't had visitors to Lemuria for over a hundred years. I remember that day well . . ."

  
  


This made everybody raise their eyebrows in surprise. A hundred years ago . . . and yet, this man looked no older then 25! Babi was 150 years old, yes, but he had been near0death when they ran into him. And yet, this man looked so young.

  
  


"Just how old are you?" asked Garet, awestruck.

"That's one issue I do not wish to discuss," said Piers lightly. "However, I will say this. I'm about half as old as the Wise One."

"Whoa . . ." said Saturos, whistling.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?" he asked. But then, some kind of connection seemed to dawn on him as he looked at how various people were wincing where they had been attacked, back on top of the lighthouse. "Do you have anything to do with the lighting of the Sol lighthouse?"

"Yes, we do," said Menardi. 

"Yeah, we originally didn't want them lit, but . . . oh, we should discuss this somewhere else. I'm just about dying with hunger, we haven't had anything to eat in over a day, and that was just a fish. Is there a good place to eat around here?"

"Oh, I think I can take care of that," Piers said kindly. "If you'll just follow me, please."

"No wonder you're all so thin," said Jenna, looking them up and down. "Yeah, Garet, I remember you having a stomach."

"Believe me, it hasn't been easy," said Garet, smiling at her, and taking her hand. She seemed not to mind.

"Yeah, I heard him grumbling in his sleep about how much he wanted to go diving for a shark," chuckled Solaris. 

"I doubt the shark would have gone after him anyway," said Ivan. "There's nothing on him but skin and bone. There's nothing but that on any of us."

"You said it," said Mia. "Most of my weight probably comes from the robes I wear."

  
  


They all started to follow the Lemurian Piers throughout the city. All wished they had more eyes than they did, for there was so much to see. Isaac actually noticed a stream of Lemurian Draught running through an area in the west side of Lemuria, which they passed. He made a mental note to come by and pick some up for Babi . . . but then he remembered that he was dead.

  
  


"Right here is our inn," said Piers, stopping in front of a worn, but beautiful, stone building with the classic INN sign hanging above the door. "They make the best bread, soup, and chicken in all of Weyard. So, you'll probably want a lot right? Since it's so high-quality, it may be expensive . . ."

"It doesn't matter," said Agatio abruptly. "If we pool all our money together, I think we'll be rich enough." This brought chuckles from everyone.

"If you say so," said Piers.

  
  


He stepped forward and opened the door to the inn. Holding it open for everyone, he went in last. He watched with amusement at the reactions to his new friends' faces.

  
  


Instantly their mouths dropped open, and he saw drool come out of more than one mouth. He himself felt his mouth watering at the smell of steamed rice, seasoned chicken, and noddle soup. It had been a while since he'd eaten himself, and he was almost as hungry, he assumed, as some of the others.

  
  


"I'm getting full just smelling this stuff!" quipped Saturos, spraying drool all over Mia, but she didn't notice. She was too busy stopping her own flow. 

"I think there's a few tables over here we could join together," said Piers, pointing to a dark, secluded corner of the inn. 

  
  


They walked over to that section of the inn, turning more than a few heads of other diners. They had also been amazed at so many visitors at one time, since it had been ages since they last saw some. 

  
  


"Apparently you're not the only one who's surprised to see visitors," commented Isaac, looking around at all the people looking at him.

"Nope, I knew I wouldn't be," said Piers. "Visitors coming here is about as rare as a Lemurian death . . . they happen once about every 100 to 150 years."

"Geez . . ." said Sheba. 

"Now, you can be seated, and I'll go get the food," said Piers. "It may take awhile, because there's 14 of us, but I'll be back as quickly as I can." He then turned around and hurried off toward the kitchen.

  
  


It took a few minutes for the group to join the tables, find enough chairs, and be seated where they wanted to sit, but it was soon done. Isaac sat between Garet and Mia, Ivan sat next to Lunora, Solaris sat between Saturos and Agatio, Menardi sat next to Karst, Jenna sat next to Garet, and Felix and Sheba sat next to each other at the far end of their huge table. By the time they were all seated, Piers had returned with about a dozen loaves of bread. 

  
  


"Steaming hot," he warned jovially. "I'll go back for soup."

  
  


He quickly turned away, and soon, there was a small dogfight and much ripping of bread. It turned out that Isaac had mistakenly ended up with a whole loaf, so Garet and Mia tore it in half, and each took one. Isaac, looking bewildered, looked around to see where the bread had gone. Mia, giggling, kissed him and tore her piece evenly, and gave Isaac one. 

  
  


The bread was devoured soon, and then, Ivan voiced something that had been nagging at the back of Isaac and company's minds for some time. 

  
  


"So, where are we all gonna go now?" he said. "I mean now that the quest is over."

"Is it really, though?" Jenna asked.

"Well, seeing as the man who got all of Alchemy's power is dead, I don't see how anyone else could take it," said Felix logically. "So yes, I do think it's over. It's been so long, hasn't it?"

"Over a year," said Garet. "But it's sure good to see you to."

"As it is all of you," said Felix. "And really, Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio were very kind to us, they only had to act nasty with Alex was around."

"But, back to what I was asking!" called Ivan. "Where is everybody going?"

"I'm going home," said Garet.

"Me too," said Felix and Jenna.

"I knew that," said Ivan. "I'm going with you, wherever you go."

"Good man!" said Isaac. "I knew you wouldn't go back to Kalay, somehow."

"I'm definitely staying with Isaac," said Mia. Isaac grinned to himself.

"We're headed back to Prox, naturally," said Saturos, referring to himself, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio. "It's home, and we miss it."

"I'm headed back to Lalivero," said Sheba. "I miss the ordinary life, but it has been fun seeing the world."

"What about you two?" asked Isaac, talking to Solaris and Lunora. 

"I'm going wherever she wants to go," said Solaris.

"I don't know . . ." said Lunora. "I'm thinking I want to go to Prox as well . . . but I'm not sure."

  
  


Ivan didn't look too happy about this, but there was no time for him to voice his input on what she said, for Piers had returned with a huge plate of seasoned chicken for all of them to eat. Forgetting about the matter, Ivan and the rest leaped at the platter, and seized about five wings each. Piers watched with eyebrows raised as they all tore at the legs, devouring all of them in less than a minute.

  
  


"Wow, you guys were hungry!" said Piers, sounding both surprised and impressed. "I'll go get more."

"No, just go tell someone to send a waiter," said Karst, patting the last empty seat. "You've done enough already. But tell him to make it snappy! I'm still hungry!"

"Will do," said Piers good-naturedly, and he walked off again, returning in a minute or so. "The waiter's on his way with soup and a couple more platters of chicken," he informed everyone.

"Yeah, and I'll tell him to get a keg while I'm at it," said Garet. "It's about time I tried some ale."

Jenna smacked him. "You don't need to be drinking beer!" she snapped, laughing. 

"Oh, cut me a break!" he said. "I haven't had it since we left Vale, and I think this is as good an occasion as any to have a foaming mug."

Even Jenna couldn't argue that. "Okay, okay. Actually, you do make it sound good," she said, kissing him on the cheek. 

  
  


Garet went wide-eyed and flushed, but looked happy all the same. He didn't think it appropriate to make a scene in front of everyone, but he was happy that Jenna was perhaps starting to like him.

  
  


The waiter soon came. He was an elderly man with his blue hair (which fell to his shoulders) tied back in a ponytail, he had a stubby beard, and was looking exhausted. This made sense, as the inn was very busy right now.

  
  


"Okay, what would you like today, visitors?" he asked.

"More chicken, soup, and a keg," said Garet.

"Oooh, that will be expensive," said the waiter. "You might not be able to afford-"

  
  


But he was instantly cut off at the two pouches of gold coins that Karst produced from her pocket. She jangled them, and then tossed them both to the waiter.

"Give us all that in food, plus the keg," she said. "Don't let any of it go to waste."

"Yes ma'am! No problem, ma'am!" said the waiter, catching the bags, bowing, and hurrying off to the kitchen.

  
  


Probably by the influence of the gold that Karst gave to the waiter, enough food to feed a whole council appeared suddenly at their table, with cooks bobbing around, trying to find a place to put the soup, chicken, and fried rice. When it was finally placed, they scurried off, and Isaac and company and the Proxians loaded their plates.

  
  


They had just started to drain their soup bowls when the elderly waiter came rolling a keg next to Garet. The waiter bowed again, and left, leaving Garet to fill up his flagon. The rest passed their flagons to Garet, and he filled them. Soon, everyone was enjoying their food and sipping ale.

  
  


It was a celebration party of sorts. They talked, laughed, ate, and drank. Ivan told Piers all about their quest, and the story of their whole trip. He left Piers sitting there with his mouth open in amazement. Isaac and Felix got into an argument about who would tell the wise one how they 'screwed up', and ended up laughing over it.

  
  


In the end, when they had literally stuffed themselves fit to burst, and were all feeling a little tipsy, they thanked the waiters, and went to the registration desk to rent five two-person rooms, and a family room. Karst dug out another pouch of coins, and paid the receptionist, who promptly gave them their keys.

  
  


Piers bid them goodnight, and left the inn. The rest walked shakily up the stairs, seeing as they were all, well, slightly drunk. Isaac and Mia took one room, Garet and Jenna took another, Ivan and Lunora took the third, Felix and Sheba took the fourth, Karst and Agatio took the fifth, and Solaris, Saturos, and Agatio took the family room. After bidding each other goodnight, they all went into their rooms, closing the doors behind them.

  
  


So, all being full, happy, drunk, and exhausted, they all collapsed onto separate beds, still fully-clothed, and fell asleep. They were so happy to be sleeping in soft beds that they fell asleep almost instantly after touching the pillow. It was a dreamless night, for all of them except for two.

  
  


Ivan and Lunora were lying awake, reading separate books. The candlelight flickered across Ivan's face as he read, pressed against Lunora. Soon, he put down his book and turned to face her.

  
  


"Have you decided where you want to go?" he asked.

"Well . . ." she started, looking uncomfortable. "Solaris said he'd stay with me, so I'm not worried about that."

"And I'm going with Isaac," said Ivan. "But, I'd feel much better if you came with me. I . . . I don't know. I think I'm in love with you or something. I mean, Isaac is a good friend, but I'd sure miss you. I mean . . ." Ivan stuttered, wondering why he couldn't control himself. Why couldn't he just have asked her to come with him, instead of blabbing? But, he found what he said about loving Lunora to be more true now that he'd said that.

Lunora smiled at him. "Well, in that case, I think I'll come with you," she said, now grinning. "Now that I think about it, I wouldn't want to be away from you."

"Wow . . . that feels good to hear," said Ivan, reaching up and running his hand through her hair.

  
  


She toyed with Ivan's hand for a minute as it combed her hair, and then, she pulled it to her face and kissed it softly. Ivan then pulled her into an embrace, and they kissed passionately. SO, they both fell asleep happy, having both gotten what they wanted. 

  
  


*******

  
  


All emerged at different intervals in the dining area of the inn, still groggy, and having a slight hangover, but nothing serious. Ivan was the last one to come down; he looked like he could fall asleep standing up. But, they wanted to find Piers to say goodbye, and thank him for his hospitality, before they left for home. It seemed weird to think about it now . . . the word home. They had barely thought about it through their quest.

  
  


It turned out that they didn't have to look for Piers after all, for he was waiting right outside the door to the inn, looking pleasant and alert as they had seen him last night.

  
  


"Well, it's good to see you all tired," he said, smiling. "I presume you are to leave soon?"

"We're gonna leave soon," said Ivan, "but we all wanted to thank you for being so kind to us last night, before we left."

"No problem, anything for a visitor," said Piers, chuckling.

  
  


Solaris then reached into his pack and pulled out a pouch of coins, and handed it to Piers. He tried to refuse, but Solaris insisted, saying that it was the least he could do.

  
  


"Yeah, I tried to pay for stuff last night, but Karst beat me to it," said Solaris, grinning at Karst, who looked back at him, mocking embarrassment.

"Well, it was nice to see you all," said Piers. "You've been very polite, and that's something Lemurian like to see. As a token of my appreciation, I'd like you to take this with you."

  
  


Piers then produced a small leather book from a pouch on his belt. Isaac took it, and looked at the cover, and whistled. It was entitled: Lemuria: Past, Present, and Future, and by flipping quickly through the pages, Isaac reasoned that it was like a history, and description of Lemuria, plus countless other things, including how to get past the whirlpools.

  
  


"Show that only to those you trust," said Piers. "We don't want other people to know about it, because we feel that if they really want to know, they'll find a way to come here for themselves."

"Okay, I promise," said Isaac. "Thanks again."

"No problem," said Piers, shaking everyone's hand. "And if you can, try to come back sometime."

"We will," said both Menardi and Isaac. Piers nodded happily and then left, and disappeared into a building.

"Wait!" Isaac shouted. Piers then popped his head out the door.

"What?"

"How do we get out of here? Do we just ride one of the currents?"

"Yes. Just take the first current you come to, on your left, right before the one you had to cross to get here. You can't miss it."

"Thanks!" said Isaac, and Piers disappeared though the door.

"Well, we've finally visited Lemuria!" said Lunora. "It's the most beautiful city I've ever seen."

"I'll agree with that one," said Sheba, glancing around. "But, I'd like to get home now."

"Hear hear!" chanted everyone else.

  
  


They all walked out of the city, casting a quick look back at it. Once they crossed the row of pillars that marked the edge of the city, they stepped into bright sunlight, now able to reach them. It could not shine upon Lemuria. 

  
  


The soon reached their ships. Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio turned around and shook hands with everybody, until they were left with shaking Isaac's hand.

  
  


"Thanks for being so understanding, and, well . . . for not killing us," said Menardi, pulling him into a small hug. "You know, that's really nice . . . we should have told you our purposes from the very start."

"Not a problem," said Isaac. "I'm surprised you didn't kill us. You've no idea how bad we feel for almost killing all of you."

"It was a lack of communication," said Saturos, coming up to shake Isaac's hand. "On both our sides."

"But, I hope we can create a friendship with you all the same," said Karst, shaking Isaac's hand as well. "Even if that scum Alex nearly killed us all," she added angrily.

"And we'll hope to hear from you," said Agatio, nodding at Isaac, and also extending his hand.

"Of course," said Isaac. "We may even visit you."

"I'd like that, from all of you," said Menardi. "Oh, and Jenna, Felix, and Sheba, I hope we weren't too hard on you."

"Not at all," said Sheba. "Your company was enjoyable."

"All right then," said Saturos awkwardly, getting on the ship. Menardi, Karst, and Agatio soon followed. "Well, we'll hopefully see you sometime soon."

"All right then, have a safe trip," said Solaris. "Goodbye, brother."

"See you later, squirt!" shouted Saturos to Solaris as they sailed away.

  
  


Isaac, Garet, Ivan, Mia, Jenna, Felix, Sheba, Solaris, and Lunora watched the four Proxians sail away, until they saw them being jerked away by the current until they were out of sight. Isaac then sighed.

  
  


"So many places to visit again . . ." he said. "But only after a good rest in Vale. We'll visit Prox, Tundris, Tolbi, all those places later. I just wanna get home."

"I'll go for that," said Garet. "Let's get on board, and sail then!" 

  
  


They all got on board their ship just as soon as they got the ramp set up. Retracting it, Lunora stepped up to the Black Orb and guided the ship away from the beach. She then turned it around, and sailed straight for the current. In a minute, they were swept away, the ship being slightly tossed about in the raging waves carrying it out to calm seas. 

  
  


In a few minutes, the saw the end of the river, leading into the Great Eastern Sea. They soon got deposited into the ocean, still speeding west, until they slowed to a stop. Lunora sat down for a minute, and spoke to Solaris.

  
  


"By the way, you said you'd stick with me, right?" she said.

"You mean as far as where we're going? Yes, I did," said Solaris.

"Well, how would you feel about living in Vale?" asked Lunora.

"I'd like that," said Solaris, smiling. "It sounds like a very nice place."

"It is," said Jenna. "I like it, anyway."

"By the way Isaac, how are we gonna get home?" asked Garet.

"I have an answer to that," said Solaris. "If you'll sail to the beach along the southeast end of Angara, you'll run into a small town called Champa, and if I recall correctly, they have a teleport pad there. We can teleport to Vale, because every town on Angara and Gondowan has one in the town or somewhere close by."

"How do you know this?" asked Mia.

"I traveled there years ago, before I even came to Prox," said Lunora. "I told him all about what I found. And he's right. If you just get us to Champa, we can get home without a problem. And about the ship, there's a cave a mile or so away from Champa, a cave that has water deep enough for a ship to dock in it. We can keep the ship there."

"Sounds good to me!" said Ivan. "I really didn't like the idea of re-traveling half of Angara just to get to Vale."

"Okay then! Destination . . . Champa!" said Isaac, walking up to the Black Orb, and turning the ship northwest. He then set the ship at full speed for Angara, the continent where home awaited. 

  
  


*******

  
  


It took half a day to sight land, but it sure didn't seem like it to anyone else. It felt like another year. However, their sailing time would have been longer, but the wind was with them. Ivan had made it blow towards the southwest at a fairly strong pace, because he could control the wind as a Jupiter Adept. All the while, Isaac had scanned the book that Piers had given them about Lemuria. It told them everything about it, and Isaac soon found himself reading it aloud to everyone, and showing them the pictures drawn inside. All in all, it was very interesting. 

  
  


When Garet spotted land, everyone cheered, and Isaac poured maximum psynergy into the Black Orb, which speeded the ship up. About ten minutes later, they came so close to Angara that they could make out the land features upon it. Lunora then started to give instructions on where to sail.

  
  


"We're too far east," she said. "We'll need to sail down the coastline a few miles, and then we'll come upon the cave. Then, we'll leave the ship there. It's okay to do that since nobody can sail it without Psynergy and the Black Orb."

"If you take that with you Isaac, then the ship should be just fine," said Felix. "Then, hardly anybody can move that ship."

"Right," agreed Solaris. "Then, we walk to Champa, and on the side we'll come into, there'll be a little shack which requires Reveal to enter. In there, you'll find the teleport pad."

"Okay!" said Felix, feeling more excited the closer he got to home. "Let's get sailing."

  
  


Isaac turned the ship west and put it at full speed. A few minutes or so later, they came across the cave that Lunora had mentioned. After reaching it, Isaac guided the ship inside it, so that it was right next to the ground lining the wall of the cave. Soon, he brought the ship to a stop, and lowered the plank.

  
  


"Welcome to Angara, everybody!" said Isaac happily, and they all cheered. 

  
  


They all went belowdecks to get anything they might want before leaving the ship behind. After everyone stuffed their packs and their arms with personal belongings, they all emerged on deck again, and walked down the plank and onto solid ground. They walked the few hundred feet that it took to get out of the cave, and turned West.

  
  


"Okay, it's about a fifteen-minute walk from here," said Solaris. "Then . . . oh wait. You can even see Champa from here!"

"Where?!" shouted Jenna excitedly, squinting into the distance. "Oh, I see it now!" she said pointing.

  
  


She showed it to everyone else, and actually, it looked pretty close, it was just blocked out by the landscape, which it blended in with. Enlightened by this sight, everyone began to run towards the small town in the distance, and since they were so excited, they didn't lose much energy. It just became difficult to hold onto the things that they carried in their arms, plus the weight on their backs. 

  
  


As the town loomed so close that they could see the buildings of it, Sheba managed to spot the little shack. It was in a secluded part of the village, away from the whole of the town, and sheltered by large boulders. She approached it, and cast Reveal to see a lever where a sign used to be saying: WELLHOUSE: DO NOT ENTER. She pulled it, and the door swung open to reveal a teleport pad.

  
  


"Well Sheba, I guess this is goodbye, for now," said Felix, hugging her. 

"You'll all come see me, right?" she inquired. "I know we don't know each other very well Isaac, but I hope you and your friends will come see me sometime, so we can get to know each other better."

"I'd like that," said Isaac. "Well drop by sometime soon."

  
  


With that, Sheba hugged Felix again, and then Jenna, and stepped onto the teleport pad. Using the psynergy she claimed at the Jupiter Lighthouse, she cast Teleport, and instantly disappeared. That left the original six, plus Felix and Jenna.

  
  


"Okay, I think we cal all fit on this thing," said Ivan, stepping onto the pad. He made sure that everyone else stepped on too, and had room. "Okay, are we ready to go to Vale?"

"We're ready!" chorused the rest of the group. 

"Okay, to Vale we go!" said Ivan, getting out the Teleport Lapis that Sheba handed him sometime other than then. 

  
  


He cast teleport, and instantly they felt a new, rushing sensation. The room soon began to swirl, and bright white balls of energy flowed out of each of them, and the Teleport Lapis. They soon disappeared.

  
  


*******

  
  


They soon reappeared on another teleport platform in a stone room with blue-tiled walls, and torches hung in brackets on the wall. Isaac and Garet recognized the place with a thrill of excitement. 

"It's . . . it's Sol Sanctum!" shouted Garet.

"Really?" said Mia excitedly. "So, we're right outside Vale?" 

"Yeah!" said Jenna. "Let's go!" 

"Welcome back," said a cold, distantly-familiar voice.

  
  


They all started, and Jenna soon pointed upwards. They all saw the Wise One hovering over them, staring down at them with its one, huge eye.

  
  


"I'm glad you see you all back safe, Isaac and Garet," said the Wise One. "And you brought some new friends with you, I see. And even recovered Jenna and Felix. You've done much right on your quest."

"Thank you, Wise One," said Isaac.

"But you failed to prevent the lighting of the lighthouses," said the Wise One coldly. "And where's Kraden?"

"Alex killed him back at the Jupiter Lighthouse," said Isaac. "It's a sad loss."

"That it is," said the Wise One. "But, we'll discuss your quest later. "Right now, you probably have some villagers outside who'd be really happy to see you right now."

"Do they know we're here?" asked Mia.

"Know, I'll save that surprise for you guys," said the Wise One, slightly humorously. "I'll be speaking to you later about your quest." And then he vanished.

"Well, let's get into Vale now!" said Ivan. "I'm so close to my new home, but I haven't gotten to see it yet! Let's go!"

  
  


All following Ivan, they ran out the door of the small room, and found themselves near the entrance to the sanctum. Isaac led the way out, running down the dirt path leading into Vale. He was just dying to be back in his bed, of which he left vacant for over a year.

  
  


"Isaac?" said a feminine voice.

  
  


He looked up, and as soon as he saw who had spoken, his face split into an ear-to-ear grin. He saw his mother, who had just come out of the Great Healer's sanctum, looking over at him, as though she couldn't believe it was him.

  
  


"Mom?" he said tentatively, also not daring to believe it. 

"Oh, Isaac and Garet! And Jenna and Felix! It's so good to see all of you!" Dora cried, rushing forward and grabbing them all into a crushing hug, as Ivan, Mia, Solaris, and Lunora watched on with a big smile on their face.

  
  


They were back.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


END

*********************************************************************************

  
  


And that's it. That's the end. The final chapter.

  
  


Or is it the end? Yes, I'll have a short epilogue brewed up for you guys . . . and I mean short. Probably no more than two pages. 

  
  


After that, I will post the afterthoughts on the story, including my replies to the reviews I get on this chapter. And I'll discuss the prospect of a sequel and the Idea I have fully formed in my head, and whether you like it or not. So, wait until then.

  
  


I will also give you some final statistics on the story itself, which my computer word program was kind enough to tell me. Just a statistic. 

And even though the next thing updated will be the epilogue, and it's very short, the SirGecko Deal still stands! The more reviews I get, the more I type, and the faster I update!

  
  


REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!


	25. Epilogue

Bunder Black: Well, I'm glad you liked the ending. I thought it was perfect for the occasion, for Isaac to meet his mom just as he got into Vale. Thanks for your unwavering support of me and your dedication to my work. If you ever write something up, I will say the same thing to you as you did to me. I'll be there to review.

  
  


Kevin C: Yes, Alex had a good influence to be mysterious, yet controlling. All the Proxians wanted to do was save the world, but nooooo. Alex had to come and be all big and bad and . . . you get my point. And yeah, Vale is still standing. I wouldn't want to write about how they rebuild. And unless you want to be an architect, you'd probably fall asleep.

  
  


SykoMonk: Well, thank you very much. You honestly think I'm a good author? Wow . . . well, I guess I could say that people have always said that I'm gifted when it comes to writing (not trying to brag here, by any means). And I do know that I have the longest GS fic, word-wise. 

  
  


Anime-Master7: Ah, the person I wanted to reply to most. Reason being your braces issue. See, I have them too, and what your orthodontist said about you not being able to chew gum is a bunch of BS, to an extent. You can have chewing gum all you want (I chew it all the time, and my ortho said it's okay), just not bubble gum. Now, go get that pack of gum! 

  
  


Akachi: Yes, I put in that flameshipping, just for you, because I know it's one of your favorites. Aren't I nice? ^_^ Anyway, I hope you enjoy the epilogue.

  
  


Dragoon knight: I can't wait to start the sequel (providing all you readers want one). And I will keep writing. Don't think that I'm gonna quit of you, or any other of you guys, because you've all been so supportive.

  
  


bladegryphon: Don't worry. I sometimes read and don't review, so you're not the only one. OW! *gets torched by flamethrower* Yes I know, I'm a bad boy, and you, my annoying little reptilian friend, don't need to remind me! *ducks more flames* Sorry, bladegryphon. My geckos are pretty annoying. *ducks more flames and ice* See?

  
  


cheese: You're too kind. But hey, it's great to see that you like my work. Keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing!

  
  


Black Demon5: I'll consider it.

  
  


Omniflyer: Ah, so I hear from the infamous Omniflyer! I hear your work is very popular. And that leads me to wondering . . . why would you be reading a newbie's work? Oh well. It's nice to hear from you all the same. And yes, I do have to agree that reading my whole story at once would take a lot out of you. How long did it take? And how bad was your headache? ^_^

  
  


Great Saiyaman: You're most welcome. Anything to please a dedicated reader. And you want a sequel? Cool. Well, that all depends on what other readers have to say. And y'know, if they don't want one, then we just might have to gang up on them, eh? ^_^

  
  


Sukasa The Third: I'm sorry you didn't like the ending. I hope that you'll still read what I write. More death threats! NEED MORE!!! 

  
  


NintendoGamer: It's heart-wrenching, isn't it? I can't believe it's over myself, I mean, I've spent June through November writing this gig, and now it has to be over? *sniff* oh well. I have a sequel to look forward to, don't I?

  
  


TankMasterG: Thank you. I thought it was a fitting ending as well. Yeah, I thought it was a good iea for them to have a little post-quest party in Lemuria. I'd like that, I know. 

  
  


Okay. I think that covers it. Onto the epilogue! . . . Nooo . . . the last work.

  
  
  
  


Epilogue

  
  


Isaac was sitting on his bed, thinking hard about the week he had just spent home, and how the place had changed while he was away. His mom had now wanted him in her sight almost all the time, which was good in the fact that it told Isaac that she really cared for him, but he also wanted to roam about the town at will and see how the others were doing.

  
  


Garet had been welcomed home even more dramatically than he, Isaac was. His mother, father, and grandfather had broken down and wept, babbling on about they all thought he would never come back. He and Jenna were to have the entire upper floor of the house to themselves, since that was Garet's one request when he got back.

  
  


Ivan, Solaris, and Lunora had taken Kraden's cottage, since there was no point in tearing it down. They had removed all of Kraden's belongings and put them in some wooden crates, which they stacked outside the house. Ivan and Lunora occupied the downstairs half, while Solaris got the upper floor. In truth, they were quite happy to be in their own little corner of Vale.

  
  


Felix had gone to live up in Sol Sanctum, where he worked in Kraden's place, supposedly. He was now working for the Wise One in order to figure out more about Alchemy. Felix was greatly needed by the Wise One now that the lighthouses had been lit.

  
  


Isaac was brought back to reality when the lump on the bed behind him stirred. He looked behind him, and saw that Mia had just woken up. She was rubbing her eyes, and yawning. She still hadn't fully recovered from the loss of sleep experienced on the whole journey across Weyard.

  
  


"Finally awake, eh?" he said. "You slept like a log the whole night."

"That doesn't surprise me," said Mia, getting up and pulling Isaac back so that he was next to her. "I'm still dead-tired."

"Well, we have our meeting with the Wise One later today to look forward to," said Isaac sarcastically. "We now get to be yelled at by a rock with an eye, because we 'failed' to prevent the destruction of Weyard. Have any of the town elders looked badly upon you yet?"

"Only a few," said Mia, looking out the window for a second. "But I ignore them. It's not any of my concern if they don't like me; I could care less."

"You're lucky because they don't know you as well as they do me," said Isaac acidly. "I'm getting the evil eye wherever I go, except from my mom and Garet's relatives. And you guys, of course."

Mia smiled, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Ignore them," she said. "Just ignore them. They're not worth it."

"Well, maybe our talk with the Wise One won't go too badly," said Isaac.

"I don't know," said Mia uncertainly. "He didn't sound too pleased with us when we got back."

"Okay then, let's get it over with, shall we?" suggested Isaac. "The more we put this off, the more we dread it."

"Good idea," said Mia. "Let's get going.

  
  


So, They both got up and dressed fully, then went downstairs. The house was vacant, which probably meant that Dora was out shopping or something of that sort. They walked out of the house, and started to head for Garet's. Once there, they climbed the ladder up to Garet's window and knocked. 

  
  


Garet was reading a book by the looks of it, and when Isaac knocked, he jumped, and looked out the window. Garet, seeing who it was jumped off his bed and opened the window for Isaac and Mia to climb through.

  
  


"What's up?" asked Garet. 

"We'd best go talk to the Wise One," said Isaac. "And hear what he has to say."

"Personally, I don't care what that solid rock has to say," said Garet grumpily. "He's just gonna scold us for 'failing' to prevent the lighting of the lighthouses."

"Well, I think we should just talk to him all the same, Garet," said Mia. "You're right though. He probably is going to scold us, but that's okay. As long as we know what we did was right, then there's nothing to feel ashamed of."

"Well, if you put it that way . . ." said Garet. "then I guess there's nothing wrong with going to see him. Okay, let's go get Ivan, Solaris, and Lunora."

"By the way, where's Jenna?" asked Mia, looking around. "I just noticed that she's not here."

"She's up at Sol Sanctum, looking for Felix," said Garet. "Apparently, he wanted her for something. I also heard her mention that the Wise One was gonna recall Sheba, for some sort of training exercise . . . I don't know."

"Oh, okay. Well, it'll be good to see Sheba again, she seems like a decent person," said Isaac. "Well, let's go get Ivan, Solaris, and Lunora, shall we?"

  
  


They nodded, and all climbed down the ladder. After they were all down, they started to head across the bridge over the river, and into the secluded area of Vale where their cottage was. It was cooler here, probably because of all the trees and the cool air that wafted out of the cave to the northwest of their cottage.

  
  


Garet approached the door, climbing up the earthen steps, and rapped twice on the door. After a few seconds, he heard footsteps, and then the door opened and Garet saw Solaris's face staring back at him. It lit up slightly when he saw Garet.

  
  


"Hey man," he said, opening the door wider, signaling for them to come in. "What's going on?" 

"Well, we wanted to go see the Wise One today and hear what he has to say," said Garet scornfully. "I smell a lecture."

"Me too," said Solaris. But I also heard that he's got Felix, Jenna, and Sheba there. And Piers. He recalled him somehow through some sort of telekinesis."

"Cool, we'll get to see Piers again!" said Garet.

"I thought he was a really nice guy," said Isaac. "Welcoming strangers. Most people wouldn't even dream of it."

"Especially after 150 years, or however long he said it was last they had strangers," agreed Mia.

"Anyway, let's be going, so we can . . . wait. Where's Ivan and Lunora?" asked Isaac.

"They're upstairs in her room," said Solaris. "They said they were busy."

"I wonder what with," said Garet sarcastically, but Mia smacked him.

"Shut up!" she said. "You're so narrow-minded."

"I'll go get them," said Isaac. "It shouldn't take long."

  
  


He proceeded to go past Mia, Solaris, and Garet, and up the stairs to the second level of the house. Since he knew Kraden cottage by heart, he could probably guess which room that Ivan and Lunora had taken up. He proceeded to go to that room, and knocked on the door.

  
  


"It's open!" a voice called, which Isaac recognized to be Ivan's.

  
  


Isaac opened the door and entered. He saw them sitting at a small table, playing with a board that he recognized to be Kraden's old chess set, which Isaac and Kraden would play after long days of research. 

  
  


"Checkmate!" said Lunora, giggling.

"Dammit!" shouted Ivan. "Why in the Hell is it that you beat me at every game I suggest?" 

"I'm just good," said Lunora, now laughing.

Ivan continued to grumble, and then Isaac spoke up. "We're headed over to meet the Wise One. Let's go."

"Right now?" said Ivan sarcastically. "Darn. I was gonna see whether I could get the crap beat out of me in a round of checkers."

"You're such a sore loser," said Lunora playfully, kissing his hand. 

"Don't worry, I stink at checkers," said Isaac. "But let's go. I wanna get this lecture over with."

  
  


Both Ivan and Lunora nodded, and they all went back down the stairs, and met up with Garet, Mia, and Solaris, who were chatting. When they saw that Isaac, Ivan, and Lunora were ready, they followed them out the doorway, and down the stairs into the main part of Vale.

  
  


On the way, several people greeted them jovially, seeming to celebrate their return, not to mention the good weather. It had been pleasant all week; Dora had even mentioned the fact that the day before Isaac and company returned home, it had been sweltering hot.

  
  


They walked up the stairs in the northern part of town, and proceeded up the pathway to Sol Sanctum. They slowly opened the elegant doors, and entered. The hallway was cool, as usual, and gave off the appearance of a mystical, yet powerful place.

  
  


They didn't have to walk far to see the Wise One hovering in their path. They all prepared themselves for a good, long lecture, but the eye of the Wise One was darting around, as though in fear.

  
  


"I originally wanted you to come because I wanted to discuss your quest with you," said the Wise one. "But, that has to wait. There's something much more important going on here."

"What could that be?" asked Isaac, looking somewhat surprised. He'd never seen the Wise One look worried, except for the time when he and Garet had set off around the world.

"I made a terrible mistake," said the wise one. "And now . . . we have a serious problem."

  
  


**********************

  
  


The real ending, fitting for a sequel. But it's up to you! If I get enough people to request one, then I'll do one! These people I already know want a sequel: 

  
  


a. NintendoGamer

b. Great Saiyaman

c. Anime-Master7

d. TankMasterG

e. Akachi

f. Dragoon knight

  
  


Anybody else who wants a sequel, request so in your reviews! Just a few more requests, and you'll have your sequel! And for those people I mentioned, review this! Don't think that just 'cause I put your name up there doesn't mean I don't want your review! 

  
  


BTW, if a sequel is to occur, I will discuss the idea I have for it in the Afterthoughts, which I will post in a day or two. If you don't like it, then you'll have to make some suggestions, because I don't have any ideas. I will tell you now a couple hints about the sequel in mind:

  
  


a. it's nothing you'll ever guess

b. it'll have a lot more humor

c. it'll be shorter, but Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers will have a much greater role

  
  


those are the teasers! If they sound good now, that's great! I'll duscuss the rest in the afterthoughts.

  
  


G'day!

  
  


~SirGecko~ 


End file.
